Dare Night
by musingsandmisunderstandings
Summary: Now, there she stood in front of a photo booth with her Dare Card gripped tightly in her left hand, her eyes scanning the crowd as she tried to find someone that she could convince to go into the booth with her. *Make-out with a stranger in a photo booth.* AU
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Once Upon a Time or its characters.**

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Emma already regretted her decision to go along with the stupid Dare Night that Ruby, of her her closest friends, had come up with.

Ruby had spent the greater part of three days trying to convince her to participate and she'd been hesitant to agree until Ruby had _so kindly_ reminded Emma that she had already been spending _far too_ much time by herself and not nearly enough time with her friends.

She now stood in front of a photo booth, a laminated game card held tightly in one of her hands as her eyes scanned the numerous crowds of people around her. She had been trying and failing to find someone whom she deemed suitable enough to convince into helping her get through her misguided friend's idea of a _fun night_.

 **Make-out with a stranger in a photo booth.**

She sighed deeply, rubbing her other hand over her face as she felt her frustration start to grow. She had been pacing around the general area for the better part of thirty minutes, trying to build up enough courage to ask someone to go along with Ruby's stupidity, but unfortunately for her, she had yet to find someone, anyone, who she would, let alone _wanted_ , to ask.

Emma felt her phone vibrate in her back-pocket, alerting her to an incoming text and she couldn't help but roll her eyes. She didn't have to pull her phone out of her pocket and look at the screen to know that her friends, Ruby in particular, were starting to grow impatient with her. They had all agreed that all of them would be meeting up at Granny's Diner as soon as they'd all finished, but she had yet to give them any signs of life since they'd gone their separate ways a few hours earlier.

 **Ruby: Where are you? You're running out of time.**

Emma sighed as read the text message, shoving her phone back into her pocket before she took a deep breath, steadying her resolve and scanning the crowds of people around her again.

"Are you looking for something in particular? If not something, maybe you're looking for someone?" Emma startled slightly at the question, asked in a somewhat husky voice by someone who appeared to be standing directly behind her. "You're not obligated to answer my question if you don't want to." The stranger continued and the blonde detected a hint of amusement in their voice. "It wasn't my intention to make you uncomfortable." Emma continued to stand there silently, trying to see if it were possible for her to recognize the other woman's voice, but her mind came up blank. "I was just curious."

"Curious?" Emma asked, wincing when she heard the slight quiver in her voice.

"Yes. You've been switching between standing here and pacing in front of the photo booth for the greater part of twenty minutes. It looked to me as if you were looking for something, or someone, and you'd simply had no luck finding them."

Emma turned around slowly and her eyes met vibrant brown that seemed to brighten the longer they held each other's gazes. She swallowed thickly, unconsciously allowing her gaze to break away from the other woman's and roam over her features for a few seconds.

The woman, a brunette, wore a pair of tailored black slacks, a white blouse with a straining third button that seemed to momentarily hypnotize Emma, and black heels that added a few inches of height to her.

 _She's breathtaking._

"I'm sorry." The woman said, breaking the silence and putting an end to Emma's blatant staring. "I didn't mean to bother you."

"No!" Emma exclaimed, wincing slightly as she realized that she'd managed to startle to the other woman with her sudden outburst." You-you're not bothering me." She said more calmly, a small smile tugging at her lips as she met the brunette's gaze again. "I would've been tempted by my own curiosity to do the same thing if I were you."

"So, does that mean that you're willing to sate my curiosity?" The brunette asked, biting her lip as she looked around, her eyes scanning the crowds of people as they walked by them. "Who knows, maybe I'll be able to help you find whatever, or whoever, it is you're looking for."

Emma rubbed the back of her neck somewhat sheepishly, feeling a blush creep onto her cheeks as she found herself internally debating whether or not she wanted to tell the other woman what it was she was up to. She looked around for a moment, dropping her hand to her side once her decision was made.

"It's uh, it's kind of stupid. Really stupid to be honest." She said with a shrug of her shoulders, trying to appear nonchalant as she looked at the game card that she still held in her hand. "One of my closest friends convince me, along with the rest of our friends, to be a willing participant in another one of her poorly thought-out ideas." She rolled her eyes as she continued. "She planned a Dare Night, and uh- well, I've been trying to- I have to find someone who would be willing to-" Emma was too flustered by the reminder of what it was she was supposed to do, and by the presence of the beautiful brunette woman, to explain herself without rambling and continuing to embarrass herself, so she extended the hand that held the game card to the other woman, silently encouraging her to take it and read it for herself.

The woman grabbed the card, her fingers lightly brushing against Emma's as she did so, and the blonde could do nothing more than watch as the woman read the words to herself, a small smirk appearing on her lips as she looked up to meet Emma's eyes as she re-read the words out-loud. "Make-out with a stranger in a photo booth." Emma lowered her gaze, staring at her low-top Converse with sudden captivated interest. "So, you're looking for a stranger who would be willing to make-out with you because one of your friends dared you to?"

Emma felt her cheeks heat up, a clear sign that she was blushing furiously, and she wanted nothing more in that moment than for the ground beneath her to open up and swallow her whole. "Well, yeah- I mean- I know that it's stupid, but- okay, look, here's the thing," She stuttered out, clearing her throat, and silently willing her voice to stop quivering as she tried to get a grip on her thoughts. "I've been spending a lot of time doing nothing but studying lately, and my friends were starting to get worried, so they all thought that if they were able to get me to participate tonight, maybe I'd unwind a bit, you know?"

 _God, she probably thinks that I'm a bumbling idiot._

"Your friends thought that daring you to make-out with someone you don't know might help you unwind?" The brunette asked Emma, amusement in her voice as she handed the game card back to Emma with a raised eyebrow. "Obviously, it's had a rather opposite effect on you."

Emma couldn't help but laugh a bit at the other woman's words. She felt the tension leave her shoulders slightly as she nodded her head in agreement. "Yeah, well, yeah." She finished with a shrug, finally finding the courage to meet the brunette's gaze again, her lips twitching upward, seemingly wanting to match the amused smile on the beautiful stranger's face.

"Okay, come with me." The brunette said as she grabbed Emma's arm, the blonde immediately following behind her as she pulled her into the photo booth behind them and sat down, patting the empty spot next to her, silently requesting that Emma sit down next to her as she pulled a $5 bill out of one of the front-pockets of her slacks and fed it into the machine.

Emma simply watched the brunette, her eyebrows furrowed and confusion etched on her face. "What are you-" Emma's question was cut off by a set of full lips pressing onto her thinner ones, a small sigh escaping her as she felt the brunette's tongue gently gliding over her bottom lip, silently asking the her for permission to continue exploring her mouth as her arms wrapped around the blonde's neck. Emma's own hands finding purchase on the other woman's hips, her grip tightening as she struggled to keep her hands from wandering.

They detached their lips, Emma not hesitating to continue as she kissed down the other woman's jawline, quickly reaching her neck. She barely resisted the sudden urge she felt to bite down on the brunette's pulse point as a hand settled into her hair, fingers tangling into her curls, silently encouraging her to continue on her current path of exploration.

"There are people out here waiting to use the photo booth. Stop hogging it!" A man's voice exclaimed, breaking into their make-out induced fog and reminding them non-to-gently that the world around them still existed.

Emma groaned, not bothering to contain her disappointment. Her lips tilting upward in a smile as she heard the other woman chuckle somewhat huskily. "Well, it seems to me that you were able to go through with what you were dared to do after all, dear." She bit her lip, trying and failing to contain her widening smile as she met the other woman's gaze. Emma knew in that moment that she didn't want their time together to come to an end, let alone so soon, and she was already thinking of ways that she could possibly extend it.

Emma startled slightly as her phone chose that moment to vibrate in her pocket, once again alerting her to an incoming text, but she ignored it this time. Instead, she turned her attention back to the woman that held a newly printed photo strip in her hands, her eyes moving over the images, her lips tilted up in a smirk.

Emma just sat there quietly, watching as the other woman carefully ripped the photo strip in the middle, her eyes shifting between the two halves for a few seconds before she nodded to herself. The brunette gingerly placed one half of the photo strip in the back-pocket of her slacks before grabbing the blonde's hand in her own. She turned Emma's hand palm-side up and placed the other half of the photo strip in it.

Emma smiled as she grabbed the photo strip in a tighter grip, lifting one side of the black leather jacket she wore, and placing it in the hidden pocket that the jacket had. She smiled as she felt the other woman's hand grab her own, their fingers intertwining as she helped her off of the bench and out of the photo booth. The two of them walked out, completely ignoring the group of people who were stand outside waiting for their turn, some of them were wearing knowing looks on their faces.

"I think I've given you quite the souvenir, wouldn't you agree?" The brunette woman asked with a teasing smile on her face.

Emma couldn't help but laugh lightly as she met the other woman's gaze, one of her hands reaching up to unconsciously tuck a loose strand of brunette hair behind her ear, her own hand stopping to gently cup the woman's cheek. "Yes, you did. I agree. You didn't have to do anything, but I'm _really_ glad that you did."

The brunette turned her head slightly, kissing Emma's palm gently. "It was my pleasure. Truly." She said with a somewhat shy smile that seemed so different to Emma from the confident woman who had taken the initiative to pull her into the photo booth and kiss her a few minutes ago.

"Will you tell me your name?" Emma asked her in a whisper as she took a step closer to the woman, their faces coming closer together, the temptation to lean in and close the remaining distance between them again weighing heavily on the blonde's mind.

"Why do you want to know my name?" The other woman asked her with a tilt of her head, her gaze burning into Emma's, seemingly searching for the answers to questions that she hadn't asked.

"I'd really like it I didn't have to consider you a stranger anymore." Emma answered her honestly, making sure to keep eye-contact with the woman, letting her see the sincerity in her eyes.

"That's quite a charming thing for you to say." The brunette said with a small smile as she took a step back and reached up to straighten the collar of Emma's jacket. "My name is Regina Mills."

Emma couldn't help but smile as found herself enjoying the other woman's attention, the pit of her stomach warming considerably at Regina's gesture, and she decided in that moment that she wasn't going to let this be the last time that she interacted with the beautiful woman. "It's very nice to meet you, Regina." She said as she extended her hand out towards the her, silently inviting the brunette to shake it. She watched the other woman's smile brighten as she grabbed her hand, shaking it in a confident grip. "My name is Emma Swan." She said, noticing that they were still shaking her hands, but seemingly just as reluctant as Regina to let go. "Did you want to go get something to eat?"

"That's not some kind of euphemism, is it?" Regina asked her with a smirk.

Emma's eyes widened and she felt her cheeks redden in embarrassment as Regina started to laugh. "No! No, no, no. I mean- I- we just met, so, no. Food. I was just asking you if you wanted to get some food." Emma stuttered out, clearing her throat roughly as she silently cursed her inability to control her rambling.

"That sounds lovely, Emma. I would love to."

Emma took a step back, a brilliant smile on her face which only seemed to grow more vibrant when Regina smiled back at her. "Yeah?" Regina simply nodded her head in the affirmative. "Great! Awesome. We can go to Granny's Diner. It's only a fifteen-minute walk from here." Emma continued as she grabbed onto Regina's hand, intertwining their fingers once again as she led them out of the shopping mall and in the direction of the diner. "We can start getting to know each other a little bit better on our way there, if that's okay with you, of course."

Emma smile widened as she felt Regina's hand gently squeeze her own.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Okay,** **so I've decided to keep adding to this story as more ideas have come to mind as to where I want to take these characters. Thank you to those of you who have followed, added this story to their favorites, and written comments/reviews. I truly appreciate it.**

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Emma and Regina had been walking for less than two minutes when Emma's phone vibrated, yet again alerting her to an incoming text message. She pulled her phone out of her pocket, unlocked the screen, rolled her eyes as she read the text message, typed and then sent out a quick reply. "We'll be there in ten minutes or so." Emma told the other woman.

They continued walking in comfortable silence for another minute or two, Regina's heels clicking confidently on the concrete until the moment that one of them got wedged into one of the larger cracks in the sidewalk, causing her to lose her balance.

Emma's reflexes immediately kicked in and she caught Regina around the waist before the other woman could fall. The blonde's quick action helped the other woman avoid getting her, but it did very little to save the brunette's heel, leaving it wedged deeply in the crack. "Well, I mean, when you think about it…those heels were kind of a safety hazard to you, you know." Emma said with an air of nonchalance as she helped the other woman maintain her balance, choosing to ignore the pointed glare that the other woman aimed in her direction. "Here, I'll bend down so that I can help you remove your heels. You won't be able to walk very well, or very far, if you try to do so with one of your heels missing anyway."

"You will do no such thing!" Regina exclaimed, her grip on Emma's arm tightening to keep the other woman from trying to bend down. "Emma, this ground is absolutely disgusting!" She said. "You can't seriously expect me to walk around barefooted!"

Emma found herself fighting the urge to laugh out-loud as she watched Regina's reaction. She took a deep breath, trying to ignore the laughter that was still bubbling up in her throat as she lowered her head slightly so that the other woman wouldn't see her lips twitching as she removed her leather jacket and placed it on the ground with the inside of it facing upward. She lowered herself onto one knee and lifted both of her hands up, silently requesting that the other woman lift her foot up so that she could help her remove her heels.

"Don't be silly, Your Majesty." Emma said, not bothering to hold back her laughter when she felt Regina's hand smack her lightly on the back of the head. "I won't let you settle your feet on this disgusting ground." She continued as she gently placed the other woman's now-bare foot on her jacket before moving on to the other one and repeating her actions, Regina's hands finding purchase on her shoulders to keep herself steady.

Emma placed both of Regina's heels in one of her hands and turned her back to Regina, silently offering it to her so that the other woman could climb onto it.

"Oh, you cannot possibly be serious." Regina scoffed out. "Emma, you are NOT carrying me around town in such a manner! I simply refuse to let you do that!"

"Come on, Regina." Emma said with an exasperated sigh. She'd already suspected that the other woman wasn't going to readily accept being carried around town, especially not piggy-back style, but she had no intention of letting Regina walk around town with a missing heel, or barefooted, so the brunette was simply shit out of luck. "Your heel is broken and you refuse to walk barefooted on the sidewalk, which I can't say I blame you for, if I'm being honest. Let me carry you." Emma could sense the other woman's remaining hesitance. "Let me be your Knight in Rusty Armor, Your Majesty." Emma finished with a small smirk.

"Well, since you're so insistent that I climb on your back and ride you, wouldn't that actually make you my Noble Steed?" Regina asked her.

Emma could hear the smirk in Regina's voice and she couldn't help but laugh lightly. Surely, the other woman thought that she'd succeeded in leaving her flustered and unable to come up with a quick rebuttal, but in this instance she was wrong. "Wait, did you just say that you're going to ride me?" Emma asked her, carefully turning and lifting her head up enough to meet the other woman's gaze. "That's a bit forward of you, don't you think? I mean, we haven't even gone through an awkward round of Twenty Questions yet, woman."

Regina rolled her eyes. "That was a rather crass thing for you to say, don't you think?" She asked Emma, trying and failing to sound annoyed as her lips started lifting upward. "What happened to the stuttering mess of a woman that I met earlier tonight?"

Emma smiled as she turned back around, her smile widening as she felt Regina lower herself behind her, the brunette's arms wrapping themselves loosely around her neck, the other woman's grip tightening slightly as Emma lifted herself up off of the ground. She grabbed Regina's legs and wrapped them around her waist. "You know, when I asked you if you wanted to go get something to eat with me, I didn't expect to have your legs wrapped around me so soon after you accepted my invitation." Emma said with a smirk that she knew the other woman wouldn't be able to see, laughter once again bubbling in her throat when she heard Regina groan into her ear.

"You're incorrigible." Regina muttered, causing the blonde's laughter to spill out. She wasn't annoyed, although she was was trying to pretend to be and the younger woman's laughter was enough of a confirmation to the brunette that Emma knew that she wasn't really bothered by her teasing.

"It's all a part of my charm."

"Oh, is that so?" Regina asked her in amusement.

"Oh, yeah, absolutely." Emma answered her with an enthusiastic nod. "My mom has always said that it runs in our family." She said with a smile as she thought about her parents. David and Mary Margaret Swan had been married for over twenty-five years, but they still very much acted like teenagers in love. "According to her, it's a trait that I've inherited from my dad."

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind, dear."

"I hope you do."

The two of them continued on their way in comfortable silence for another minute or two, simply enjoying their surroundings. The streets weren't heavily populated, somewhat illuminated by the lights coming out of the small businesses around them.

"How long have your parents been together?"

"They've been married for over twenty-five years. They met when they were in high school, and they celebrated their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary back in March." Emma answered. "My older brother, August, and I invited them out to dinner to celebrate on the actual date, and that weekend we hosted a party where they celebrated their love surrounded by the rest of our family and their closest friends."

"It sounds like they're very happy." Regina said. "Do you have any other siblings, or is it just your brother?"

"Now, now, Your Majesty." I think it's my turn to ask you a question since I've already answered one of yours." Emma told her with a teasing smile.

"I supposed you're right." Regina agreed somewhat reluctantly.

Emma didn't want to push Regina into answering any questions that the brunette wouldn't be comfortable answering because she didn't want to run the risk of potentially ruining any possibility that she had of getting to know more about the other woman. She could almost hear the cogs turning in the brunette's head, and she wondered if Regina was worried that she'd asked her a question that she wasn't yet ready to answer, and she wanted nothing more in that moment than to put Regina at ease. "What's your favorite color?"

"My, uh-" Emma bit her lip to keep herself from laughing at the other woman's reaction. She'd already suspected that her question was going to catch Regina off-guard, but she hadn't expected to hear the brunette stuttering through her answer. "Black. My favorite color is black." Regina answered much more confidently a moment later.

"Oh, that's a very good choice." Emma said. "I think that color definitely suits you."

"You think it suits me, do you?" Regina asked her in a teasing voice.

"Yeah, absolutely." Emma answered her with an affirmative nod. "And to answer your second question, August is my only sibling. He's almost three years older than I am."

"I have two older siblings." Regina told her. "Zelena and Roberto. Roberto is almost five years older than me, and Zelena is about two-and-a-half years older than I am."

"Well, I can't wait to hear you tell me more about them, but it'll have to be later because we've reached our destination, Your Majesty." Emma said as she slowed down less than a block away from Granny's Diner. She knew that her friends were already expecting her arrival and that made her somewhat hesitant to continue on their path. "I'll see if I can find a pair of comfortable shoes for you to wear for the rest of the night once we get inside."

"Comfortable shoes?" Regina asked her.

"Yeah, you didn't think that I was going to let you spend the rest of the night barefoot, did you?"

"Well, no, but-"

"I'm not going to let our night end simply because you broke one of the heels off your shoes." Emma said as she continued walking towards the diner, shifting Regina slightly to keep the other woman from falling off of her back. She readily avoided looking through any of the diner's windows as she made her way towards the steps, stopping once she reached them. "I highly recommend that you ignore my brother once we've gotten inside. He can be a bit of an idiot." Emma said, a small grimace on her face as she thought about who else would be waiting inside. "Unfortunately, my friends aren't that much better." She muttered quietly to herself.


	3. Chapter 3

"Hey, Baby Sis, you made it!" Emma heard her brother's voice as soon as she walked into the diner with Regina still riding piggy-back style on her back. "Hey, uh, are you aware that you've got a koala-like woman attached to your back?" He asked her, making no attempt to hide his smirk as she rolled her eyes at him.

"Seriously?! I had no idea." Emma sarcastically answered him, her grip on Regina's legs tightening slightly as she continued to walk towards the group's booth.

"I mean, I can't say that I'm surprised to hear that to be honest, Emma. Lately, you've been a little bit slow on the uptake." August said as he continued to smirk, picking at imaginary lint on his black t-shirt. "Is she your Spider Monkey, or something?"

"Or something." Emma muttered to herself. "Have you been watching Twilight again, Augustine?" Emma asked him with a smirk of her own tugging at her lips, slowly bending herself backwards so that Regina could make herself comfortable in the booth. "Regina, this dork of a man-child is my older brother August. August, this is Regina."

"Well, it's nice to meet you…again, Regina." August said with a genuine smile as he extended his hand out towards the brunette woman for her to shake.

"Likewise, August." Regina responded kindly as the two of them shook hands.

Emma watched their interaction with her eyebrows furrowed, her head tilted to the side, and her lips set in somewhat of a pout. "Wait a minute. You guys have already met?" She asked as she looked between August and Regina.

"Yes, we've already met. We were both in Professor Hopper's class together last year." Regina answered with a smirk as she turned to meet August's gaze. "He's quite annoying."

"Oh, it's all a part of the Swan Charm, Regina." August said as he puffed out his chest slightly, winking at the other woman with mischievous eyes that seemed to twinkle the more he smiled.

"Emma! Finally! It's about damn time that you showed up!" A young brunette woman with a single streak of red in her hair exclaimed as she came running in, barreling into Emma and nearly knocking the blonde woman down in the process. "We've been waiting on you."

Emma laughed lightly as she pulled the brunette into her side, her hand resting on the woman's hip as she rolled her eyes. "Rubes, I sent you a text letting you know that I was on my way."

"Yes, you did, but unfortunately, that only seemed to keep her calm enough to not send out a search party." August said with a chuckle, his eyes on Regina as he noticed the slight tension in the brunette woman's shoulders as she watched his little sister and Ruby interact. "Ruby's been driving me insane!"

A woman with blonde hair, steely blue eyes, and an Australian accent made her way over to the group. She walked up to Ruby's unoccupied side and gently placed her hand on the Ruby's stomach. "Oh, she's lucky I love her as much as I do because you're not the only one that she's been driving insane." She told August as she turned her head slightly in Ruby's direction and pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek. "Emma, I think this woman is going to give Mary Margaret a run for her money with the way that she worries about you."

"Hey, I sent your girlfriend a text message to let her know that I was on my way." Emma said as she took a step away from the other two women and put her hands up in surrender, watching as Ruby took a step behind Belle and wrapped her arms around the shorter woman's waist, resting her chin on her shoulder.

"Well, she was worried, but at least now we can see what took you so long to get here." Belle said as she looked to where Regina was sitting quietly as she stared intently at her fingernails.

Emma cleared her throat, her cheeks reddening again slightly at Belle's words. "Belle, Ruby, this is Regina. Regina, these are two of my closest friends, Belle and Ruby. Rubes gets a little bit confused every once in a while, and starts behaving like my mom."

"It's very nice to meet you, Regina." Belle said with a smile as she extended her hand out and shook Regina's hand.

"Yeah, ditto." Ruby said with a nod in Regina's direction, earning herself a smack on one of the arms that she had wrapped around her girlfriend's waist. "OW! Belle, what did I do?! I agreed with what you said. It's very nice to meet her." She said with a pout as Belle started rubbing her arms to ease the sting.

Regina had to bit her lip to keep herself from laughing out-loud as she watched the two women interact. "Likewise." She said.

"See, she said something similar to what I said! Why didn't anyone smack her arm?!" Ruby whined, the smirk on her face giving her away. The smirk promptly dropped back into a pout when Emma reached over and thumped her on the forehead with the palm of her hand. "Emma!"

Emma laughed lightly at her friend's reaction before she returned her attention to the brunette woman sitting in the booth." Regina what size shoe do you wear?" Emma asked, remembering that the other woman was still barefoot.

August, Belle, and Ruby all turned their heads to look at Regina expectantly, waiting for the woman to answer Emma's question. The brunette blushed slightly as she looked down at her bare feet to avoid everyone's gaze. "I-I wear a size 9."

Emma nodded her head, looking towards Ruby, wordlessly asking her from permission to go into the apartment located upstairs and raid her closet for a pair of shoes that Regina could borrow for the rest of the night. Ruby nodded her head once in agreement, and Emma turned her attention back to Regina. "I'll be back in a minute. Maybe two." Emma told Regina before she took off towards the back of the diner to the staircase that would lead her up to Ruby's apartment, leaving the other woman with her older brother and their friends.

Regina looked around the diner, trying to keep herself from fidgeting at the realization that she'd been left alone with Emma's friends, but as she avoided Belle and Ruby's gaze, her eyes met August's. He gave her a gentle smile in reassurance, one that quickly morphed into a knowing smirk, and Regina found herself fighting the sudden urge to glare at him.

"So, Regina, how exactly was it that you met my baby sister?"

Regina cleared her throat somewhat uncomfortably, trying to get rid of any visible signs of nervousness. "Oh, I doubt that you guys really want to hear about that. Believe me, it's not very interesting."

August chuckled at Regina's vain attempt to avoid speaking on the subject. "Oh, I can assure you that we do. Don't we?" He asked as he looked towards Belle and Ruby who readily nodded their heads in agreement as they'd both been watching him interact with Regina with poorly concealed amusement.

"Very well." Regina sighed. "I was walking around the shopping mall, when I saw that Emma was standing near the photo booth. I couldn't help but notice that she would alternate between pacing back and forth in front of the photo booth, and standing to look around for a few minutes as if she were looking for someone, or something. And as I watched her, I found myself wanting to know who, or what, it was she was looking for."

"So, what, you approached her and asked her?" Ruby asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, that's exactly what I did." Regina answered with a nod of her head.

"And what did she tell you?" Belle asked her.

"Oh, she didn't really tell me anything." Regina answered, a small smile on her face as she remembered how flustered the blonde had been when she'd tried to explain what it was she was doing. "She showed me the game card that she'd been holding."

Ruby bit her lip, trying and failing to contain her mischievous smirk. She knew exactly what Emma's game card said. She'd maneuvered the game cards in a specific way at the beginning of the night to make sure that the blonde woman would choose that card out of all of the ones in the stack. She'd simply been wanting to help Emma lighten up a little bit, and thankfully, it seemed like her idea had worked out a little bit better than she'd originally planned it to. She wanted to know more about how Emma and Regina had met, as well as how it was that the blonde had convinced the other woman to join them all at the diner, but Emma came bursting back into the diner before she could open her mouth to ask Regina anymore questions.

"Okay, I'm back!" Emma said somewhat breathlessly, her words running together as she tried to catch her breath after running up and down the staircase. "I know that you were wearing heels earlier, but I hope you don't mind if I brought you something that I thought would be a little bit more comfortable for you to wear for the rest of the night." Emma told Regina as she pulled a pair of black sneakers from behind her back, a pair of ankle socks to match were stuffed into one of the shoes. "The socks are clean. I promise."

Regina couldn't help but smile as she thought about how considerate Emma was when it came to her and it stirred something warm in the pit of her stomach. "Thank you, Emma."

"Don't mention it." Emma said with a smile of her own, her cheeks tinging a slight pink as Regina took the sneakers out of her hands.

"So, Emma, Regina here was just telling us all about how the two of you met." Ruby interrupted their moment with a cheeky grin which only seemed to widen as she saw Emma's own eyes widen slightly in panic at her words.

"Oh, she was, was she?" Emma asked, trying and failing to sound nonchalant as her voice hitched slightly.

"Oh, yeah." August said with an affirmative nod. "I think she was just starting to get to the good part when you came barging back in and rudely interrupted her." He continued with a much-too-innocent smile. "Hey, I've just come up with a brilliant idea!" He exclaimed and Emma could hear the mischief in her brother's voice, and she fought the urge to roll her eyes at his predictability. "Why don't _you_ continue where she left off?"

Emma used her peripheral vision to look at Regina, watching as the other woman bit her lip in a poor attempt to conceal her smile, and she found herself smiling too.

 _God, this woman is perfect._

Emma knew that she didn't have much of a choice, given who her audience was, so she readied herself to ask where it was that Regina had left off, but before she could say a word, someone else's voice interrupted her. "Swan, you're alive!"

 _Saved by the bell._


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:** **Okay, I've decided that while Emma and Regina are (and will continue to be) the main focus of this story, I'd also like to continue exploring the dynamic of the group that I've created. I've figured out where it is that I want this story to go, and I hope that all of you will continue to enjoy it. I don't know how often I'll be able to update, but I'll do my best to get new chapters to you as soon as possible. Thank you for all of your support!**

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Emma sighed, the relief of being interrupted by the sound of her best friend's voice was short-lived as she turned to looked up to meet his eyes. "Killian, what in the world happened to you?!" She exclaimed as she took in his appearance. He was standing in front of their group, barefooted, his clothing and hair dripping wet, and a large towel wrapped uselessly around his neck as he gripped both ends of it with his hands.

"It was all a part of my dare." Killian answered in his somewhat dulled Irish accent, a proud smirk etched on his features.

"No, no, no. It wasn't." A brunette woman said with an exasperated sigh as she walked up behind him and rolled her eyes.

"It's kind of was, my love." He rebutted with a shrug of his shoulders as he tilted his head in his girlfriend's direction.

"No, you jumping into the lake with all of your clothes on was no one else's doing but your own and you know that."

"Milah, come on! We've talked about this! I had to save it!" Killian exclaimed in outrage as five pairs of eyes followed back and forth between the two of them as they continued to argue.

"Oh, but that's the thing! You wouldn't have had to save anything if you hadn't brought it upon yourself to play the role of its hero in the first place!"

Regina scooted herself further into the booth and quietly patted the now empty seat beside her, wordlessly encouraging Emma to sit down as they all continued to watch on, the two of them appearing much more confused than August, Belle, and Ruby who were all watching on in amusement. Regina leaned into Emma's side and turned her head in the blonde's direction. She made sure to keep her voice low so that she wouldn't run the risk of disrupting the ongoing argument. "Who are they?"

Emma couldn't contain the slight shiver that ran up her spine as she felt Regina's breath so closely to her ear, but she still tried to maintain a certain air of nonchalance as she turned her own head in the woman's direction, meeting the other woman's gaze. "Killian has been my best friend since I was twelve years old." She answered in a whisper that matched Regina's. "Our friendship had a few false starts, but eventually we found common ground and we became practically inseparable."

"False starts?" Regina asked her.

"I may have smacked him hard enough in the chest to break my wooden ruler." Emma said with a guilty grin. She watched as Regina's eyes lit up in amusement and she laughed lightly. "I'll tell you more about that later. I promise."

"I'll hold you to that."

"Good." Emma said with a wink." Now, onto Milah." She tilted her head in the arguing woman's direction. "She's Killian's girlfriend, they were _High School Sweethearts_. They met our sophomore year in high school and they've been together ever since."

"You are such a moron!" Milah exclaimed, her voice rising in aggravation, putting an abrupt end to Emma's quiet introductions and prompting August to scoot closer into the booth on Regina's other side so that Belle and Ruby would have enough room to take a seat next to him.

"They're in love." Emma said in a much louder voice so that she could be heard by everyone sitting in their booth.

Regina watched as all four of them rolled their eyes in unison, obviously they were all more than used to their friends behaving that way.

Killian and Milah continued to argue for a few more minutes, and while they all watched, Emma found herself questioning her decision to bring Regina to the diner with her. She wished that she'd thought to take the other woman to her favorite ice cream parlor for a scoop of Rocky Road instead of bringing her into the middle of her group of friends without warning her of their typical behavior.

"KILLIAN!"

"What in the world is going on out there?!" A voice asked loudly enough to garner the attention of the few patrons who were still sitting in the diner, as well as Emma's friends, including the two who hadn't stopped arguing with each other since they'd started.

"Oh, shit…" Emma muttered, the entire group looking around at each other with wide eyes. "SCATTER!"

Regina looked around the group with confusion etched on her face. She watched Killian as he grabbed Milah's hand tightly in his own, walking quickly towards the door that led to Main Street as the rest of the group started gathering their belongings. "We'll meet you guys at our apartment." He tossed over his shoulder. "I don't understand why we didn't just agree to meet there to begin with." He told his girlfriend in a lower voice, but loudly enough that Regina was able to hear him as he walked away.

Belle and Ruby got up out of the booth next with August quick on their heels and Emma grabbed Regina's hand to help pull her up and out of the booth, all of them intending to follow Killian's lead.

"Emma, what's happening?" Regina asked somewhat nervously as she looked around, trying to understand what was going on, but unable to get a grasp on the situation.

"It's granny." Emma answered. "We've got to get out of here before it's too late. Come on, let's go!" Emma said as she started towards the door.

"Emma Swan! Ruby Lucas!" The voice boomed.

"Shit!" Emma and Ruby said in unison.

"Damn it. We're too late." Ruby told the group in a rushed whisper. "Emma, you need to get out while you still can." She said as she grabbed onto the blonde's shoulders, shaking her slightly. "I'll meet you guys at your apartment."

"Ruby, wait a minute." Emma said as August rushed past her, opening the door for the rest of them and tilting his head, silently gesturing for the other three women to follow.

"You guys have to save yourselves!" Ruby exclaimed dramatically. "I've lived through enough of her lectures. I know what I'm getting myself into."

Regina found herself fighting to suppress a smile as she looked around at the remaining members of Emma's group of friends. She'd been utterly confused when they'd all gotten up out of their booth like bats shooting out of Hell, but now she understood that all of their supposed panic had been nothing more than a game between all of them, something that they'd surely done more than once by the sound of it, and she found herself wondering how many times a similar scenario had played out within the group.

Ruby caught Regina's gaze in that moment, and she smiled when she saw that Regina now knew that there was no genuine need for any of them to be worried. She winked at her before she turned her attention to her girlfriend. "I love you." You told her, as she cupped Belle's cheeks and pulled her into a passionate kiss. She pulled away, turning her attention to Emma. "I expect you to protect her, you know. There are dangers in Storybrooke after all. Like cracks in the sidewalk…right, Regina?" She asked with a smirk in Regina's direction.

Emma rolled her eyes as she turned towards the door, Regina's hand still held tightly in her own as the four of them stepped into the cool autumn air, Belle and August bringing up the rear as they made their way onto the sidewalk.

"Ruby Lucas, what were those two morons arguing about in my diner now?!" They heard granny ask as they started walking in the direction of Emma's apartment.

"What exactly happened with Killian?" Emma turned her head to look behind her, meeting her brother's gaze as she asked.

"He's a moron. That's what happened." August answered her with a chuckle. "He was dared to break into Storybrooke Zoo and steal any animal of his choice."

"Wait, seriously?!" Emma exclaimed, stopping in tracks to get a better look at August who was trailing behind her and Regina with Belle at his side. "Please, tell me that he didn't actually do that." She groaned.

"Oh, but he did." Belle said, laughing lightly as Emma groaned again.

"What exactly happened?" Regina asked, lightly tugging on Emma's hand, silently urging the other woman to keep walking so that they wouldn't block the pathway.

"He ended up stealing a turtle, a very dangerous turtle. He'll tell you so if you ask him." August said with a roll of his eyes. "While he and Milah were driving back to Granny's Diner, he got the brilliant idea to _save_ the turtle by letting it loose into the wild. So, they drove to the lake so that Killian could put it in the water, and while they were there Milah decided to start looking into what kind of turtle it was that her boyfriend had stolen." He cleared his throat as he felt the laughter starting to bubble up there. "Well, Killian, as we all know, is rather notorious for being impatient, more so than Ruby. OW!" August said as he rubbed his arm where Belle had smacked him. "I was joking, Belle." He exclaimed. "Anyway, he didn't bother to wait to see what Milah's Google search came back with. He put the turtle into the water while, according to Milah, rambling on about life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

"Okay, but when exactly did he turn into that soaked mess that we saw standing in the diner?" Emma asked, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

"Oh, well, that happened around the same time that Milah kindly informed him that he'd just put a saltwater turtle in freshwater." Belle stated matter-of-factly, amusement on her voice.

"God, he's such a moron sometimes." Emma scoffed out as she turned her head to look at Regina, catching the amused smirk on the brunette's lips.

"I imagine that he took it upon himself to retrieve the turtle from the water." Regina said, turning to look behind her to where August and Belle were both nodding their heads.

"He decided that he wasn't going to put the turtle's life at risk…any more than he already had, so they drove back to the zoo, snuck in again, and returned the turtle to its home." August said. "Oh, and he convinced Milah to take a few pictures of it all."

"Milah managed to get a great shot of Killian holding the turtle out of the water in triumph." Belle added.

"Your friends are quite the interesting bunch. I'd really like to get to know them all better." Regina whispered into Emma's ear as they continued to walk.

"Oh, yeah?" Emma asked her in a whisper as she raised her eyebrows. "What about me?" Emma continued with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Do you want to get to know me better?"

"Absolutely." Regina answered her with a smirk.

"Is that so?"

"Belle, I think that Regina and my little sister might've forgotten that we're walking right behind them." August said loudly, popping the bubble that Emma and Regina had unknowingly created for themselves.

"I think you're right, August." Belle agreed with mock-sadness in her voice.

Emma rolled her eyes at their teasing, keeping her attention on Regina. "Let's go get something to eat. You and me." She mouthed to the other woman. Regina simply nodded her head in agreement, continuing to walk as Emma got the attention of the two people walking behind them. "Regina and I are going to go grab something to eat." Emma told them without turning around, hoping that they'd simply agree to meet them at the apartment whenever they were done and let them go their separate ways.

"Oh?" August started knowingly. "Well, why didn't the two of you grab something to eat earlier while we were all at the diner?"

"You know; we could always send Ruby a text message." Belle stated with a smirk on her face as she watched Emma's shoulders tense slightly at the suggestion. "I'm sure that she wouldn't mind bringing the two of you something to eat." She continued, her gaze dropping to Emma and Regina's entwined hands, her smirk turning into a genuine smile as she took notice of the subtle movement of an olive-toned thumb rubbing soothing circles over pale skin and the tension slowly dissipating from Emma's shoulders.

"No, that's really not necessary." Emma stated, a smile on her lips as she felt Regina's thumb on her skin, calming her with its continuous movements. "I already have something else in mind."

"Well, okay. If you're sure, Duckling." August said, biting his lip to keep himself from laughing as he thought about the look of horror on his little sister's face the moment she realized that he'd called her by her childhood nickname in front of Regina. "We'll meet the two of you at your apartment whenever you're done."


	5. Chapter 5

Emma and Regina continued to walk down Main Street after they'd broken away from August and Belle. Their hands were still clasped together between them, their fingers intertwined, and a feeling of genuine contentment between the two of them spoke volumes of how comfortable they already were in each other's presence.

"So, where exactly are we going?" Regina asked the other woman after a few minutes of comfortable silence.

"It depends."

"It depends on _what_ exactly?"

"On how hungry you're feeling." Emma answered with a smile, stopping them in their tracks so that she could look into the brunette's eyes as they spoke.

"Well, I didn't really get a chance to eat dinner earlier because I was distracted by a strange blonde woman pacing back and forth in front of a photo booth, so…I'm feeling rather hungry right now." Regina said, trying and failing to hide her smile as Emma rolled her eyes at her words.

"Okay, great!" Emma exclaimed. "I mean, it's great because I know the perfect place for us to go get something to eat, it's not great because you're hungry." She explained as she started walking again, pulling Regina along beside her, only to stop again a moment later. "Wait, do you like Latin food?"

"Yes, I do." Regina answered, feeling her heart begin to race as she saw yet again how considerate the blonde was with her.

"Yeah?" Emma asked, squinting her eyes as she met Regina's gaze, making sure that the other woman was being honest with her and not simply trying to make her happy.

"Yes, Emma." Regina answered her with a roll of her eyes, the smile on her face giving away how amusing she actually found the blonde's behavior. "I do."

Emma continued squinting at Regina for a few more seconds before a bright smile erupted on her face. She continued walking, tugging Regina beside her as she went. "Awesome!"

"Where are we going?" Regina asked her again as she matched the blonde woman's pace, looking at her through her peripheral vision and smiling as she saw that Emma had yet to stop smiling.

"There's a food truck that's permanently parked towards the end of the movie theater's parking lot." Emma told the other woman. "Have you eaten there before?" She asked her as they looked both ways before crossing the practically deserted street.

"No, I haven't." Regina answered her honestly. "I've always been more of a home-cooked meal person." She said by way of explanation.

Emma nodded her head in understanding. "Well, hopefully, you'll enjoy the food that you'll try there."

"I'm sure I will, but be aware that I might need your help with choosing something to eat."

"Oh, yeah, I'll definitely help you." Emma readily agreed. "I've been eating the truck owner's food for as long as I can remember, so you can trust my choices. Everything is all very delicious! You'll see it for yourself soon enough."

"Is there somewhere where we can sit comfortably and eat?"

"Yeah, there are a few picnic tables there. They were set up when the location started gaining popularity. It's a great place to sit, eat, and talk."

"That's good to hear." Regina said as the continued walking down the street.

Okay, so usually whenever I eat there, I order steak tacos, but I'm thinking we can get something a little different tonight so that you can get a better feel for the food."

"What did you have in mind?"

"We can get three tacos. Steak, chicken and shrimp with the works, and a side of chips and guacamole. Ooh, and queso!" Emma answered, the excitement in her eyes giving her a bit of a child-like glow. The blonde looked towards Regina expectantly, struggling to keep herself from bouncing up and down nervously as she waited for the other woman's response.

"That sounds delicious. I'm in." Regina said with a smile, biting her lip as she watched Emma's enthusiasm build.

"Awesome."

They walked up to the food truck as a few customers who had been standing near the window walked away with their orders in their stood side by side near the window, waiting patiently for the woman who was manning the truck to return so that she could take their order.

"Emma, qué sorpresa! Últimamente me tienes un poco abandonada." [ _Emma, what a surprise! Lately, it seems you've abandoned me._ ] The woman exclaimed as soon as she'd made it back to the window and caught sight of the blonde.

"Perdón."[ _I'm sorry._ ] Emma said in response, her gaze dropping to the ground momentarily, making her appear like a scolded child as she shrugged her shoulders and looked back up to meet the older woman's gaze. "Es que la escuela y el trabajo me han mantenido un poco ocupada." [ _School and work have kept me busy._ ]

The older woman in the truck stared at Emma blankly for a moment, shaking her head after a moment as a smile began to tug at her lips, her attempts at appearing stern melting away after a few more seconds as her smile finally won out. "Quedas perdonada, como siempre." [ _You're forgiven, as per usual._ ] Her voice was gentle, it held a familiarity that brought a smile to Regina's face as she watched their interaction. "What can I get for you, Patito?" [ _Duckling?_ ]

Emma couldn't help but blush slightly at the nickname. It was the second time that night that someone had called her "Duckling" in front of Regina, and Emma could feel the familiar feeling of wanting to disappear slowly begin to build in the pit of her stomach, but before the feeling could settle in too deeply, Regina's voice interrupted her inner musings.

"Hello. We'd like to order three tacos, chicken, shrimp, and steak, with the works, and a side of chips, guacamole and queso."

"Oh, absolutely, as soon as my granddaughter properly introduces us, of course." The older woman answered, directing a kind smile towards Regina and a knowing look towards Emma.

"Oh, uh, right, of course." Emma stuttered out, turning her head from one woman to the other with a blush on her cheeks. "Nana, this is Regina. Regina, this is my nana, Johanna."

"Es un gusto concerte." [ _It's a pleasure to meet you._ ] Regina said with a smile of her own directed at Johanna, the woman smiling brighter as she extended her hand out of the food truck's window far enough for Regina to shake.

"Igualmente, corazón mío." [ _(Johanna says it in response to Regina saying it's a pleasure to meet her, so here it means something along the lines of) It's a pleasure to meet you too, my love._ ] Johanna turned to Emma, smiling as she tilted her head in Regina's direction. "I like her. Now, go, sit down. I'll bring your food to you as soon as it's ready." She then turned around, walking deeper into the truck, leaving the two younger women standing outside, their cheeks tinted a light pink.

Emma nodded her head in acceptance of her nana's words, and she grabbed Regina's hand in her own, pulling her towards the picnic tables that she and August had helped their nana set up years earlier. The blonde smiled lightly as she thought about how quickly her nana had taken to Regina. "She's not going to let either of us pay for the food we just ordered." Emma told the brunette matter-of-factly as they sat down on opposite sides of the table.

"Why not?" Regina asked her in confusion.

"Oh, because she's going to demand that I tell her everything about you the next time that I visit her, which she'll make sure that I do within the next few days." Emma answered with a roll of her eyes.

"And she'll take that as her payment?" Emma nodded her head. "I see." Regina said with an amused smirk. "Well, correct me if I'm wrong, but you don't have a lot you can tell her about me as of right now, do you?"

"No, I don't, but I'm kind of hoping that we'll be able to change that by the end of the night. And hey, maybe you'll learn a thing or two about me along the way." Emma said with a cheeky grin.

"You speak Spanish. Fluently." Regina stated with a tilt of her head, her voice tinted with curiosity, reminding Emma of their first interaction in front of the photo booth and putting a more genuine smile on her face.

"Yes, I do. And so do you, apparently."

"Yes, I do."

"Well, how about this. I'll tell you how I learned to speak Spanish if you tell me how you learned." Emma told her as she shuffled in her seat, pulling both of her legs into her chair and crossing them underneath herself to get comfortable. "How does that sound to you?"

"It sounds great. I'll go first." Regina told her with a smile. "I'm of Italian descent on my mother's side, and Puerto Rican on my father's. My father made sure that Roberto, Zelena, and I learned his native language when we were growing up."

My nana was hired as my mother's nanny, and she never left my mother's side. By the time that August and I came along, she was already considered a member of the Swan family. She's always played a very special role in our lives." Emma told her with a fond smile. "She made sure to teach us Spanish, and we learned to speak it as they do her native country, Colombia."

"It's obvious that your nana means a lot to you."

"Yes, she really does. She and Ruby's grandmother are very important members of my family. My mom's mother passed away when my mom was younger, and my dad's mother passed away a few months before I was born, but not before she had the opportunity to choose my name."

"It's a beautiful name." Regina told her, a gentle smile on her face as she watched Emma's gaze shifted momentarily between their table and her eyes.

"Bueno, aquí les traigo su comida." [ _Okay, I've brought your food._ ] Johanna's voice caught both of their attentions and they both looked up to see her carrying a tray that held their food and two bottles of soda that Regina didn't recognize. "Chips, guacamole, queso, chicken, shrimp, steak tacos with the works, and two Manzanas." [ _Apples._ ] She told them as she placed their food in front of them. "Que lo disfruten. Buen provecho." [ _I hope you guys enjoy your meal._ ]

"Gracias, nana." Emma said with a smile, her gaze shifting from their food to the older woman.

"Sí, muchas gracias." Regina said with a smile of her own.

"De nada, mis amores." [ _You're welcome, my loves._ ] Johanna responded with a smile that she directed at the two of them, pulling Emma into a side hug and placing a kiss to the top of her head, doing the same thing with Regina before she turned and walked away without saying another word to them, a singular thought running through her mind as she did so.

 ** _This is only the beginning; I can feel it._**


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: Hello! Okay, thank you to all of you for continued support with this story. I appreciate it, truly. My responsibilities still exist (no matter how much I'd rather pretend they don't) and I need to rejoin the World of the Living, so unfortunately, this will probably be the last chapter that I post for a few weeks (hopefully, no more than that). I hope you'll all enjoy this chapter!**

 **P.S. I know that there are bound to be grammar/spelling mistakes, but I try to correct them once I've caught them, usually after they've been posted. Unfortunately, I have to rely on my mobile phone a lot and auto correct likes to think it knows what it was I meant to say more than I do.**

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Emma watched Regina as she carefully grabbed one of the chips from the basket of tortilla chips that they were sharing, dipped it into the guacamole, scooped some onto the chip, brought it to her mouth, and took a bite.

The brunette chewed slowly, a small moan making its way up her throat, but dying before it could escape her lips.

Emma couldn't help but smile as she continued to watch Regina for a few more seconds before she grabbed a chip of her own, following the other woman's lead. She vividly remembered the first time that she'd gotten to taste Johanna's cooking when she was younger. She'd gotten seconds of everything, and come very close to throwing a tantrum when her parents had told her that she couldn't have thirds.

"Do you like it?"

"Oh, yes! The texture, the taste…it's all very delicious." Regina answered as she grabbed another chip, dipped it into the queso, and popped it into her mouth. She met Emma's gaze as the blonde did the same.

The two women continued to eat from their basket as they enjoyed the comfortable silence that had settled between them. Regina allowed herself to take a few seconds to study the blonde, hoping that the other woman wouldn't notice her blatant staring.

 _God, she's beautiful._

"Is something wrong?" Emma asked her once she realized that she was the only one who was still reaching into their basket. "Oh, wait. Are you thirsty? One of these sodas is yours, you know." Emma said, smirking as she watched as Regina quickly grabbed one of the bottles. "If you don't like it, I'll go back to my nana's food truck and get you something different to drink."

"No, I'm sure that won't be necessary." Regina said, a light blush blossoming on her cheeks. She obviously hadn't wanted Emma to catch her so distracted and she couldn't help but hope that the other woman hadn't noticed that she'd been staring at her. "Then again, I've never tried apple flavored soda."

"Oh, okay. Well, I think that it's only fair that I warn you." Emma said as she leaned in a little closer. "It doesn't really taste like apples." She whispered conspiratorially. "Well, I don't think it does anyway, but I've always loved it. It's my favorite soda out of all of the ones that my nana has had us try."

Regina grabbed the glass bottle, brought it to her lips, and took a sip of the pink beverage. She gave herself a few seconds to decide whether she liked the taste or not before she took a larger sip and put the bottle back on their table.

Emma simply grinned as she watched. She picked her own bottle up, tipping it slightly in Regina's direction as a toast, and took a sip of her own.

"This is really good. I can't think of how to describe the taste, but you're right. It doesn't taste like any apple I've ever had."

"I didn't think to question the taste when I was younger, and I liked it so much that I didn't care to ask as I got older."

"I wouldn't have questioned it either." Regina chuckled.

"Well, I'm glad you liked it."

Emma took a look at the plate that held their tacos. Her nana had figured out that they intended to share everything without anyone having to tell her because she'd taken it upon herself to cut all three of their tacos in half for them. The blonde knew that her nana would be expecting an explanation from her later because the older woman knew better than anyone else how much her granddaughter disliked having to share food.

Emma grabbed half of the chicken taco, brought it to her mouth, and took a large bite. She chewed and swallowed before she met Regina's gaze and tilted her head in their food's direction, silently urging the other woman to try one of the tacos for herself.

"Which one do you recommend that I try first?" Regina asked Emma after weighing her options for a few seconds and not being able to make up her mind.

"Why not all of them?" Emma asked her and Regina pressed her lips together tightly, not willing to let the blonde see how amused she was by her answer, but the mischievous smile on Emma's face was more than enough to let the brunette know that she hadn't succeeded. "I'd try the chicken taco first. Oh, and if you'd like to put some ahí on your taco, you're more than welcome to do so. My nana makes her own from scratch. She serves it on the side because she knows that it isn't for everyone. Emma explained as she grabbed the plastic spoon that was sitting inside their small bowl of ahí, scooped out a generous amount and put it on what remained of her first taco. "I usually go without it, but I'll find myself in the mood for it every once in a while."

"Do you put it on all three tacos?"

"No, usually I'll only put it on the chicken or steak tacos."

"Do you put anything on the shrimp tacos?"

"Lemon juice is always the way to go when it comes to shrimp tacos." Emma answered as she picked up the small bowl of lemon slices to emphasize her point.

Regina grabbed her half of the chicken taco, took a bite and felt her eyes involuntarily close as the flavors met her tongue, a moan escaping her lips without her permission. She didn't know what seasonings or marinade Johanna used, or what her cooking process for everything was, but she knew that the combination of flavors and the tenderness of the chicken were more than enough to make her taste buds sing.

The brunette blinked her eyes open as she finished chewing and swallowed. She was surprised to find that Emma seemed to have frozen in place, her eyes wide as she stared at her. Her eyes appeared much darker than they'd been earlier and she felt herself blush when she remembered that she'd actually moaned in satisfaction as she ate her food.

Emma startled slightly as soon as she realized that she'd been caught staring at the other woman. She cleared her throat roughly, opened her mouth and took a large bite of the chicken taco that had started dripping down her hand while she'd been too busy looking at the brunette. She was so intent on appearing nonchalant that she forgot that she'd put a large amount of ahí in her taco and she started to cough and wheeze the moment the spices hit the back of her throat.

Regina's eyes widened as she watched the blonde. She didn't know what to do or how she could help Emma, so she started to get out of her seat to go to Johanna's food truck and ask her for a bottle of water, or something else that might help, only to have a bottle of water placed at their table by the woman in question. "Regina, you're going to be the death of this child." Johanna told her with humor evident in her voice. Regina looked up and met the older woman's gaze. She saw the mischievous glint in her eyes as Emma grabbed the bottle of water, guzzling down half of it without taking a breath, only to cough and splutter a few seconds later. "El azúcar." The older woman reminded her granddaughter with a roll of her eyes as she handed the blonde a plastic cup that held no more than a tablespoon of sugar.

Emma nodded her head, her face bright red from all of the exertion paired with her embarrassment at having all of this occur in front of Regina. She tightened her grip on the cup that her nana had handed her, brought the cup to her lips and tilted her head backward as she spilled the contents into her mouth. She waited for the sugar to start dissolving before she grabbed the bottle of water and drained the remaining contents into her mouth. Once Emma felt that she'd be able to speak without coughing, she looked up at her nana with an apologetic look. "Perdón." She said sheepishly.

"You put too much ahí in your tacos again, didn't you?" Johanna asked her granddaughter with a knowing look as Regina watched their interaction with amusement. Emma lowered her eyes to the table, avoiding both women's gazes. "Oh, wait a minute. I bet that I can guess what happened." The older woman continued with a smirk on her face. "You were trying to impress your girlfriend and it backfired. Did I get it right, mija?"

"NANA!" Emma exclaimed, obviously horrified as she looked up by her nana's words. Her eyes wide and her cheeks bright red.

"Oh, don't worry. She already likes you, mi amor. She wouldn't be here with you right now if she didn't." Johanna told her granddaughter with a roll of her eyes. She turned away and started walking back to her food truck, but she stopped and turned back around to throw a wink in Regina's direction before continuing on her way without saying another word.

Regina smiled as she watched Johanna's retreating figure before she turned her head to look at Emma who was still staring after her nana in shock. "She's right, you know." Regina told her quietly. She waited until the blonde turned to meet her gaze and then continued with a somewhat timid smile. "I wouldn't be with you right now and I wouldn't have asked your brother to help me meet you if I didn't already like you."


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: Okay, I'm back, but not for long because I meant it when I said that I had to rejoin the World of the Living, so this is going to be my last update for a few weeks. It seems that most of you loved (or hated that you loved) the** * insert my my best A&E impersonation here* ** _unintentional_ cliffhanger. Honestly, I didn't mean to do that to you guys, so I decided to make it up to you by getting these two chapters to you guys as soon as possible. Hopefully, you guys don't hate me too much after this! Enjoy!**

* * *

 _The first time that Regina ever saw Emma, the younger woman was fast asleep on the couch in August's apartment with her face completely obscured from view by her luscious blonde curls._

 _August had simply tilted his head in the slumbering woman's direction, telling Regina that the other woman was his little sister as he continued walking towards his bedroom where he grabbed his textbook and notes. When he'd come back into the living room less than thirty seconds later, they double-checked their list to make sure that they had everything they need to work on their project before they left for the campus library without saying another word._

 _The second time that Regina saw Emma, she found the other woman in a similar position to the one that she'd been in the first time, an episode of Maury playing at a low volume on the television set, but this time the blonde's hair had been pulled away from her face, sitting in a messy bun on the top of her head, allotting the brunette her first unobstructed view of the younger woman's facial features._

 _Regina still remembered how her heart had stuttered in her chest at the sight of her and how embarrassed she'd felt when she realized that August had been calling out to her, trying and failing to get her attention. She couldn't help but be thankful that he had been so preoccupied with finding all of the materials that they needed for their project to notice how she'd stood in his living room staring at his little sister._

 _And so it had continued…_

 _By the fifth time that August and Regina had walked into his apartment to find his little sister fast asleep in his living room, Regina's curiosity had been peaked and she found herself wanting to know more about the other woman, so she decided to bite the bullet and ask the blonde's brother._

 _August had already gotten around to telling her that they were a little over two years apart in age and that the two of them had developed the habit of dropping into each other's apartments without bothering to notify one another when August had moved out of their parents' house his freshman year of college. He'd explained to her that they'd given each other spare keys to their respective apartments when they'd moved out on their own, but he hadn't bothered to go into any further details about his little sister after that._

 _Regina had yet to have any kind of interaction with Emma because the woman was always dead to the world whenever she and August would arrive at his apartment._

 _"She certainly sleeps a lot, doesn't she?" Regina had asked him one day as they walked further into the living room. There had been a bowl of popcorn resting precariously on Emma's stomach, one of her hands was sitting in the bowl and a piece of popcorn dangled from the corner of her open mouth._

 _"Oh, yeah." August had answered her, chuckling lightly when he took in the state that his sister was in. "It would appear that way, but that's not really the case. Emma has taken on a massive workload this semester. It's more than I suggested she take on when she talked to me about it, but she was determined to make it work." He explained, a hint of pride in his voice. "Unfortunately, that means she's often more tired than not, so I've made it a point not to bother her whenever she's sleeping here. Not that she would notice either way to be honest. She's practically comatose once she's fallen asleep."_

 _Regina had smiled as she listened to August talk about Emma. She had wondered in that moment if he noticed the pride with which he spoke of his little sister._

 _"It might be wise to make sure that she doesn't accidentally inhale the popcorn that's dangling from the corner of her mouth. She could choke in her sleep." She'd warned him in a somewhat joking manner, even as her eyebrows had furrowed slightly in genuine concern._

 _August had nodded his head in agreement, walked towards the couch, grabbed the bowl of popcorn from where it rested on Emma's stomach and wordlessly handed it to Regina as he gently placed the hand that had been inside the bowl on the blonde's stomach. He had then carefully removed the popped kernel from the corner of her mouth, watching in amusement as she'd closed her mouth the moment the kernel was gone and turned her back on them as she rolled herself into the couch._

 _"Okay, crisis averted. Let's get to the campus library before it closes so that we can finish this project." He'd said as he retrieved the popcorn bowl from Regina's hands and made his way into the kitchen._

 _Regina had allowed herself a few seconds to simply watch Emma's sleeping form, a small smile tugging at her lips as she turned away from the blonde and made her way towards the door. She'd waited there as August finished up in the kitchen, grabbed his laptop, and met her at the door. He'd opened the door, gestured for her to walk through the doorway before he followed behind her, turning to the door and locking it before he turned to look at Regina with a smirk on his lips. "You'll read. I'll type."_

 _Regina had simply rolled her eyes and started walking down the hallway, August catching up to her quickly as they made their way to the staircase._

 _In the weeks that had followed, Regina had grown used to walking into August's apartment to find the blonde beauty sleeping on his couch, so when an entire week came and went without a sign of her, she hadn't been able to stop herself from asking him about his little sister's whereabouts._

 _"She's been spending all of her free-time with her girlfriend lately." August had answered her, rolling his eyes as a scowl had immediately appeared on his face._

 _"You don't seem too happy about that." Regina had stated in what she'd hoped came across as nonchalant as she'd tried to tamper down the feeling of disappoint that had quickly settled in the pit of her stomach at the revelation that Emma had a girlfriend._

 _"That's because I'm not." August had said with a humorless chuckle. "She doesn't deserve to be a part of my little sister's life at all, let alone be the one that Emma dedicates herself to."_

 _"Honestly, it sounds like you're just being Emma's overprotective older brother by saying that."_

 _"Yeah, or maybe it's because I don't like her because she's broken the heart of the person I love most once already." August had told her with a shrug of his shoulders, the tension in his body and the tightness in his voice making his attempted nonchalance fall flat._

 _"Oh." Regina had breathed, not knowing what else she could've possibly said after hearing him say that._

 _"Yeah, apparently, I'm nowhere near as willing to forgive her as my little sister was…" August had sighed, shaking his head in a vain attempt to rid himself of the sour mood that that particular topic always put him in. "How about I make the two of us something to eat?" He'd asked Regina after a few minutes of somewhat awkward silence. His laughter sounding sincere when he'd caught sight of the reluctance on Regina's face. "Oh, come on! You've at least got to give me a chance to prove myself in the kitchen. My nana taught me how to cook when I was younger. I can almost guarantee that you won't be poisoned by anything I make." He'd told her with a proud smirk._

 _Regina had rolled her eyes at that. "You can almost guarantee that I won't be poisoned? How reassuring…" Her expectant gaze had matched August's and her lips had tilted upwards into a smile that only seemed to grow when she'd noticed the twinkle in his eyes. He had already known that he'd won. "Fine."_

 _They'd made their way into the kitchen, and August had rummaged through his cabinets and refrigerator, pulling everything he'd need to cook them dinner out of their respective places and Regina had washed her hands, ready to help him however he needed her to._

 _After August had washed his own hands, they'd worked on making their dinner while talking about random things and allowing themselves to get absorbed by their conversation as they moved through the kitchen in synchronization._

 _The last time that Regina saw Emma sleeping at August's apartment, she'd found herself wishing that she hadn't._

 _Emma had been sleeping soundly, just as she had been every single time that Regina had seen her there before, a Jerry Springer episode had been providing low-volume background noise, and a Latina had been wrapped in the sleeping blonde's arms._

 _The unknown woman had had her head resting on Emma's chest as they both slept. The content smile that Emma had worn on her face as she slept had stabbed painfully at Regina's heart._

 _Regina had swallowed thickly and averted her eyes. She had watched as August had caught sight of his little sister and her girlfriend sleeping peacefully in his living room, and she'd watched as his face had hardened, he'd clenched and unclenched his jaw, a hint of anger in his eyes that Regina had never seen there before._

 _They hadn't said a word as they grabbed what they needed from his apartment and left._

 _August had broken their silence through gritted teeth as they'd made their way down the hallways towards the staircase. "That damn woman knows that I can't stand the sight of her, yet there she was cuddling up to **my** little sister in **my** apartment like she didn't have a care in the world! She knows that her presence alone is enough to piss me the fuck off! She knows exactly what she's doing!"_

 _Regina found out a few days after the incident at August's apartment that he and Emma had gotten into a massive argument that night because of Lily, Emma's girlfriend. The blonde wouldn't be going back to her brother's apartment because he had more or less banned Lily's presence there._

 _And from then on, August had started spending more of his time with Regina. Their friendship continued to develop and strengthen the more they were together, weeks quickly turned into a month and then two, and then one day, it was as if he'd simply fallen off the face of the Earth._

 _She didn't see him for days, and when he finally reemerged, he'd done so by knocking on Regina's door in the middle of the night. His eyes had been bloodshot; his cheeks had bore the evidence of tears and she'd easily smelt the alcohol on his breath. "She broke my little sister's heart...again." He'd told her, his voice cracking. She'd invited him into her home without hesitation._

 _They spent that night talking while they sat on Regina's living room floor. August hadn't said a word about Emma's feelings, and Regina hadn't expected him to. She had known that he would never break the trust his little sister had in such a way, no matter how drunk he may have gotten, but he had eventually admitted to being more than a little relieved that Emma and Lily had apparently broken up for good, and his confession had made him feel an overwhelming amount of guilt that he hadn't easily rid himself of._

 _It wouldn't be until a month after that when Regina would finally built up enough courage to tell August that she was more than a little interested in pursuing his little sister._

 _"Wait, you want to date my little sister?" August had asked her, his voice tinted in confusion as he'd looked at Regina, his eyes hardening slightly as his mind started processing what it was that the woman had told him. Regina had simply nodded her head. "Since when?!"_

 _"A few months ago."_

 _"But you haven't even met her!" He'd exclaimed in disbelief._

 _"That's not exactly true, August."_

 _"How can you possibly say you want to date someone who you've never spoken to before?" He'd asked her as he anxiously ran one of his hands through his hair, tugging on it slightly as his fingers got caught in his curls. "Hell, she's never even been awake when you've seen her! I mean, don't get me wrong, I know all about the Power of the Swan Charm, but she wasn't even conscious for fuck's sake!"_

The Swan Charm, seriously?

 _"August!"_

 _"What?!"_

 _"You're rambling." Regina had stated calmly as she'd crossed her arms over her chest, steadying her stance as she'd silently watched as August tried to regain enough control of himself so that he could actually listen and be able to understand what it was she wanted to tell him. "Look, I really like her, okay. I know that we haven't been formally introduced, but you've told me so much about her that I feel like I know her already. God, you have no idea how big of a role you've played in me wanting to meet her, August."_

 _"So, you really want to date my sister?" He'd asked her again, his voice implying that he was still been somewhat skeptical._

 _"Yes, I really want to date her, but ultimately, she'd be the one to decide whether or not I get the chance, not you, and not me. If she decides to give me a chance, I'm not going to hesitate, August."_

 _"You're not only sassy, but determined." August had said with a light chuckle. "You're lucky. Those are two of your traits that my little sister will undoubtedly find attractive."_

 _"Is that your weird way of telling me that you're okay with me pursing Emma?"_

 _"Well, I won't lie to you, it's going to take some time for me to get used to my best friend - don't look at me like that, you know it's true – dating my little sister, but I know you Regina. And believe it or not, I think the two of you are going to be very good for each other. I mean, I'll probably regret giving you my blessing sooner or later because the two of you are already massive pains in my ass on your own, so I can only imagine how much worse you're both going to be when you're together, but if it means that you'll both be happy…" August had finished with a sheepish shrug of his shoulders._

 _Regina had smiled brightly at his words as she fought the sudden urge that she'd felt to pull him into a bone-crushing hug. She'd noticed how uncomfortable he already seemed after his little speech without her having to add more to it. "Does that mean that you'd be willing to help me?"_

 _August had looked up towards the ceiling, tilting his head from side to side as he'd pretended to contemplate his answer. "Yes, of course I'd be willing to help you." He'd told her with a smile on his face as he'd looked in her direction, and when their gazes met, his demeanor grew stern. "But Emma is still hurting right now, and I honestly think that it would be better for the both of you if you waited until her heart has had the chance to heal a little bit more. I promise that I'll let you know when it's the right time, but only if you'll be willing to wait for it."_

 _"I am."_

 _"Good."_


	8. Chapter 8

**Present Day**

Emma stared blankly at Regina, not moving a muscle as her brain tried to process what it was that the brunette had just admitted to. "Wait. Wait, what?" She asked as she blinked repeatedly, as if that action would somehow prove that she'd simply imagined Regina's words. Hell, maybe she was hallucinating or dreaming, and she wasn't even really sitting in front of the woman, but at her apartment, sleeping.

Nope, we're both still here.

"I asked your brother to help me meet you." Regina repeated, speaking much louder this time than she had the first. Her demeanor was calm, and her voice sounded confident, but in her lap she was anxiously twisting her fingers together.

"H-h-how?" Emma stuttered out.

"I simply talked to him. I told him that I really wanted to meet you, and I explained to him that I had nothing but the best intentions where you were concerned, and after we talked about it a little bit more, he agreed to help me." Regina saw that Emma looked like she was still trying to process what she'd said, and she probably didn't understand the extent of her relationship with August since she didn't even know that the two of them knew each other until earlier that night. "August and I become friends while we were in Hopper's class together. We were assigned to a project together, and we did so well that we continued pairing up whenever more projects were assigned, and so we started hanging out after school and on the weekends when could.

"You talked to him." Emma parroted back as her mind continued to race.

"I did." Regina agreed. "If you want me to, I'll tell you everything I said to him."

"Why?"

"It's not my intention to lie to you, Emma." Regina answered honestly, yet somewhat confused by the blonde's question. "I asked August to help me because he's your brother and I thought that-"

"No, that's not what I meant." Emma interrupted, looking apologetically in Regina's direction before she continued. "Why would you be interested in me?" She asked in what sounded to the brunette like disbelief.

Regina was tempted to tell Emma that she had been completely captivated by her beauty from the first moment that she saw her, but she didn't know how the blonde would take her words if it seemed as if she was struggling to believe that Regina would have any genuine interest in her as it was. "Many reasons." Regina said instead, her voice confident as she tried to catch Emma's gaze with her own.

"We've never even met before." Emma stated, shaking her head slightly as if she'd somehow cause a forgotten memory to resurface with the action.

"Are you sure?"

"I would've remembered meeting you, Regina." Emma answered in exasperation. "You're not someone who I'd easily forget. Trust me."

Well, you're not wrong. We've never met me before." Regina acknowledged the truth in the blonde's words with a sigh. "But that doesn't mean that tonight is the first night that I've ever seen you. Quite the opposite in fact. I've seen you many times, all of them while I was in the company of your brother." Regina continued, meeting Emma's eyes as her own twinkled with mischief. "You have a bad habit of falling asleep while watching Maury reruns."

Emma's eyes widened and she blushed as she caught sight of Regina's knowing smirk. "That's not fair!" She exclaimed. "There's never anything else to watch at that time." She muttered as she crossed her arms over her chest and pouted slightly.

"Well, after I saw you in a similar position on more than once occasion, I couldn't help but be curious about you."

"Curiosity is a big thing with you, isn't it? Didn't anyone ever tell you that curiosity killed the cat?" Emma asked her with a small smirk on her face, her own eyes twinkling like Regina's still were.

"Yes, and satisfaction brought it back."

"Huh?"

"Have you never heard the whole saying before?"

"Uh, no, I haven't. My parents never mentioned there being more to it whenever they used it to lecture us…" Emma answered with a tilt of her head that had Regina biting her lip to keep herself from smiling when she couldn't help but compare the blonde to a puzzled puppy. "I didn't know."

"Well, if your parents knew, they most likely conveniently forgot whenever they were lecturing you…" Regina explained with a playful smile. "Anyway, I eventually asked your brother about you. He immediately switched from being my friend to being your protective older brother, and he started to interrogate me, wanting to know what my intentions were where you were concerned."

"And what did you say to him that got him to stop his interrogation?" Emma asked somewhat nervously, an action that not only warmed Regina's heart, but it also made her wonder why the blonde woman would be nervous about her answer.

"I told him the truth." Regina answered with a shrug of her shoulders. "I told him that I was interested in you, in getting to know you. I told him that I hoped that he liked me enough to approve of me pursuing his little sister. And I told him that I wanted his help, if he would be willing to offer it, of course."

"And he agreed?"

"Well, I'm sitting in front of you now, am I not?" Regina asked, her tone gentle and the smile on her face teasing. "I don't think you know how much you truly mean to your brother. You're the apple of his eye, and he'll probably kill me for admitting that to you on his behalf, but it's true nonetheless."

"Well, he means everything in the world to me, so…"

"So, you're both on the same page then. Good."

"Why didn't he simply introduce us?" Emma asked in confusion. "We could have met a lot sooner if he had."

"I think that that's a question that would be better answered by him." Regina lifted her hand to keep the blonde from interrupting her. "He had his reasons, Emma, and not only did I understand them, but I agreed with them." Emma looked into Regina's eyes, meeting her gaze, nodding her head in acceptance when she saw the honesty so clearly etched on the brunette's face. "Are you made at me?" Regina asked after a moment of silence, her tone had quieted again. Emma felt a tug on her heart strings as she saw how unsure of herself the brunette woman looked as she waiting for Emma to answer her question. "I mean; I would understand if you were. I wouldn't hold it against you. I'd have no right-"

"I'm not mad at you, Regina." Emma interrupted the other woman's rambling, her voice seeming much stronger than it had since they'd walked into Granny's Diner earlier that night. She'd regained her confidence, it seemed, the confidence that August had proudly spoken to Regina about at length. "I asked you if you wanted to get something to eat with me because you peaked my interest, and honestly, my interest only seems to grow the longer that I'm with you."

"I'm really glad to hear you say that, Emma." Regina said with a smile that the blonde wholeheartedly returned before they both seemed to remember where they were and what they had been doing. They redirected their attention to their food and started eating again in comfortable silence, Regina hiding a smile under the guise of chewing as she watched how much more mindful Emma was being as she took bites of her chicken taco.

"My siblings and I are nowhere near as close you and August are." Regina said after a few minutes. Emma looked up, silently watching the brunette, giving the other woman her undivided attention while allowing her the time to get her thoughts together, or to change her mind about sharing. "Or maybe that's just the way that things are between the three of us now. I still remember how inseparable Zelena and were when we were younger." Regina said with a sad smile. "Unfortunately, there came a time in our lives when our mother started comparing us at every single turn, and so my sister and I found ourselves competing against each other for our mother's attention." Regina laughed humorlessly, it sounded hollow, and Emma found that it uncomfortably pierced at her heart. "In the end, neither one of us won the prize that we sought, but the damage had already been done to our relationship, and no matter how many times, or how hard our father and brother tried to help us reconnect, they were only moderately successful. We love each other, I know that we do, but the closeness certainly isn't there anymore."

"August and I hated each other with a passion when we were younger." Emma stated, not letting them be engulfed by an uncomfortable silence after Regina finished telling her about her sister. "He threw a rock at me once. It wasn't a small one either." She said as she ran her finger over a small scar under her left eyebrow. She leaned over the table slightly so that Regina could get a better look, her breath hitching as Regina's fingertip took the place of her own. She looked into the other woman's eyes, losing herself momentarily in pools of caramel, only to be pulled out of her trance by a loud crash that sounded from the food truck.

The two women immediately pulled themselves apart from each other, their attention turning to Johanna who was looking at them with an apologetic grin.

"Regina turned her attention back to their table as Emma glared at her nana, who simply mouthed "Perdón," before the woman returned her attention back to cleaning up.

Emma rolled her eyes at her nana's actions before she turned back to the brunette, clearing her throat and continuing where she left off. "When my parents demanded that he tell them what happened, he told them that he hadn't meant to do it. He said that he'd been running in my direction, tripped over something, and lost his grip on the rock as he fell." She chuckled lightly, these days she found herself laughing whenever she thought about her brother's valiant attempts to convince their parents that he hadn't intentionally done anything wrong. "He hadn't been aware that our father had witnessed what actually happened. It turns out that he had realized that August was up to something, and he'd started making his way into the backyard to stop him, but unfortunately for me, he hadn't gotten there quickly enough. By the time that he made it to where we were, I was already a teary-eyed 7-year-old, eyes opened wide as I tried my best to not cry. August was grounded for months."

Regina knew that Emma had chosen to tell her that story because she wanted to distract her and keep her from dwelling on what she had revealed to the blonde about her turbulent relationship with her sister, and she felt all the more grateful to be sitting in the other woman's company.

It wasn't difficult for Regina to picture the Swan siblings at a younger age. They both bad a hint of mischief in their eyes that they'd apparently never grown out of, and that alone spoke volumes of the about of trouble that the twosome must've gotten themselves into at that age. She shook her head in amusement as she imagined two curly-haired terrors, one brunette and one blonde, running around, clearly looking for trouble.

She wasn't surprised to learn that August had had a bit of a mean streak when he was younger either. He'd told her about some of the so-called pranks that he'd liked to pull on Emma, but he'd conveniently forgotten to mention this incident to her. "Your brother was a little shit." Regina said with a laugh.

"Oh, yeah." Emma laughed along. "He definitely had his moments, but thankfully, he seemed to grow out of it by the time that I joined him in middle school. By that point he'd already started becoming **Brother Bear** , and obviously, he never quite grew out of that." The blonde smiled fondly, not even bothering to pretend to be annoyed by her brother's behavior. "Okay, that's enough talking about our families for a while, don't you think?" Emma asked with a smile on her face. She didn't want to run the risk of making Regina feel uncomfortable with heavy topics, she would rather continue enjoying a lighter mood. "And, we still have to finish eating too!"

Regina smiled at Emma as she grabbed what remained of her first taco and put it in her mouth. She chewed, swallowed, and grabbed her bottle, taking a sip of her drink before she spoke. "I remember you promising to tell me more about happened with Killian when you were twelve." She said as she watched as Emma squeezed a lemon slice over her shrimp taco.

"You're right. I did." Emma nodded along as she picked her taco up, taking a bite out of it. When she finished chewing, she swallowed, then took a sip of her own drink. She cleared her throat and started. "We were seventh graders. I remember walking into our English classroom in a bad mood. I don't remember why, but I know that I was, and when Killian walked in, he seemed to notice that I was upset, so he decided that he wanted to help me out. He meant well, I know that, I knew it then, but he and I had never spoken to each other before, and I didn't want a random kid continuously pestering me about why I was upset." She rolled her eyes as she remembered how annoyed she'd been by Killian then. "I told him that I was upset and that I didn't want to talk about it, but he ignored me and continued on pestering me, which only served to make me angry."

Regina watched Emma as she told her story, only taking her eyes off of the blonde whenever she'd go to take another bite of her food because she didn't want to make a mess of herself.

"I didn't even bother pretending to be nice when I told him to leave me alone, yet the moron didn't listen. Instead, he kept insisting that I'd feel much better if I talked about whatever it was that had upset me with someone, so I lost my temper. Before I really had a chance to think about what I was doing, I grabbed my wooden ruler and smacked him in the stomach with it so hard that my ruler broke in half."

Regina couldn't keep herself from laughing, and she found herself thankful that she'd waited until the blonde had finished telling her the story before taking her last bite into her mouth. "What did he do?" Regina asked.

"He walked away without another word." Emma answered with a chuckle.

"So, he learned his lesson, right?"

"Not quite." Emma said with a small smile on her lips. "He came into our English classroom the following day with a brand new wooden ruler to replace my broken one."

"And that's when you two became friends?"

"Oh, no." Emma shook her head, smiling when she saw the confusion on the brunette's face. "That didn't happen until two weeks after I threw my textbook at his head."

* * *

 **Author's Note: Hopefully, I'll see you guys in a few weeks! Take care of yourselves!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: Hey, everybody! I've had a hectic few weeks, and unfortunately it seems as if I have more to come, so my updates won't be as frequent as I'd like them to be. I don't know exactly how many chapters I have left to write, but I do have an ending for this story in mind. This chapter might not be as long as previous ones (and there's quite a bit of Spanish that I've translated and placed at the end of the chapter), but I promise to do my best to make it up to you in the near future. I really hope that you'll enjoy this chapter all the same. Thank you to all of you for your continued support! Happy reading!**

* * *

"Hola, nana. Como van las cosas?" [ _Hey, nana. How are things going?_ ]

"It seems that things are going very well, sweetheart. The girls have been talking while they eat, and I can honestly say that I haven't seen our Emma smiling quite as brightly as she's smiled tonight in a very long time." Johanna told her grandson over the phone as she kept an eye on the two young women who were sitting at the table. They seemed so immersed in one another and completely unaware of their surroundings. "I have a very good feeling about these two."

"Me alegra mucho escucharte decir eso, nana." [ _I'm happy to hear you say that, nana._ ]

"Augustine?"

"Si, señora?"

"Are you talking to me in Spanish because you don't want any of your friends to know what we're talking about right now?"

August couldn't help but laugh lightly as he heard his nana's knowing voice. "Que bien me conoces." [ _You know me very well._ ]

"Yes, we both know that you're not the only who I know so well." Johanna said with a smile on her lips. "Over the years, I've gotten to know your friends pretty well too, and most of them have a bad habit of trying to eavesdrop." She didn't sound annoyed, not by any means. If anything, there was an unmistakable amount of fondness in her voice whenever she spoke of her grandchildren's friends. "Have you told them about your relationship with Regina yet, or do they still not know that the two of you are friends?"

"Todavía no les he contado nada porque quiero esperar a ver cómo le va a Regina con Emma esta noche. No quiero ir a meter la pata." [ _I haven't told them anything yet because I wanted to wait and see how Regina handled getting to know Emma tonight. I didn't want to mess anything up._ ]

"Oh, don't you worry, sweetheart. I understand why you chose to wait to tell them anything." Johanna told her grandson as she continued to watch her granddaughter as she gestured wildly appearing to be hit something, or someone. "I think that Emma might be telling Regina about the time that smacked Killian in the stomach with her wooden ruler. I'm sure she'll be telling her about the textbook she threw at his head soon enough."

August couldn't help but laugh as he made momentary eye-contact with the man in question himself, who appeared to be listening intently to August's side of the conversation, trying and failing to understand enough of what was being said. "Bueno, pues me alegro mucho al saber que mi hermanita la está pasando bien, pero creo que ya es hora de que ellas salgan de haya. No quiero que ninguna de las dos este afuera tan tarde. Será que las puedes mandar ya para el apartamento, nana?" [ _Well, I'm happy to know that my little sister seems to be enjoying herself, but I think it's time that the two of them make their way over here. I don't really like either one of them being out this late. Would you be able to send them over our way, nana?_ ]

"Oh, sure. I can do that, Augustine." Johanna told him, the concern in her grandson's voice making her smile. It didn't matter how much her grandchildren had fought and argued with each other as children, they couldn't deny how much they loved each other at the end of the day, and in moments like this one, she could easily see how much the happiness of one of them impacted the other's. "I'm going to send some food to you. I'll have your sister take it with her."

"Tacos de carne asada con ají?"

"Yes, of course."

"Muchas gracias, nana. Te quiero mucho." [ _Thank you, nana. I love you._ ]

"I love you too, mijo. Very much. I'll be expecting you to visit me soon."

"Sí, señora. Me imagino que tendremos mucho de qué hablar." [ _Yes, ma'am. I imagine that we'll have a lot to talk about._ ]

"You know that we will. Goodbye, mi amor."

"Chao, nana."

Johanna pulled her phone away from her ear, pressing onto the screen to end the call before she looked back up to where Emma and Regina were still sitting. It appeared that they were done eating, Emma draining her bottle of the soda that remained while Regina gathered their plates, stacking them up so that they'd be easier to throw away.

Johanna grabbed the plastic bag that held the to-go box that she'd already set aside with her grandson's food and walked over to the cooler to grab a can of his favorite soda for him. She made her way out of her now-clean food truck, locking it up for the day before she made her way over to where the two young women were.

"Patito, I just spoke to your brother on the phone. He's worried about you because you've both been gone for a while and he wanted me to remind you that everyone is waiting for you back at your apartment." She said as she was close enough for them to hear her. "I've packed Augustine some dinner, which he'll be expecting, so don't you dare get any ideas, Emma."

"Nana, come on! That only happened one time!" Emma exclaimed immediately, rushing to defend herself. She turned to look at Regina only to find the other woman pursing her lips in a vain attempt to keep herself from laughing.

"Oh, we both know that it's happened more than once, mija. I'm sure that what you meant to say was that you've only been caught once." Johanna stated with a knowing gleam in her eyes as she watched in amusement as her granddaughter's cheeks started to redden. "I still can't help but think about how unfair it is that you don't seem to gain a single pound even though you gorge yourself more than a teenaged boy most of the time. Tú tienes una suerte tremenda." [ _You possess an unbelievable level of luck._ ]

Emma didn't even try to hide her smirk as she heard her nana's words. She knew that no matter how many times her nana seemed to actively seek out opportunities to embarrass her, she would always allow her the opportunity to redeem herself in some way, shape, or form, and this time was no different. "Oh, we both know that there's more to it than mere luck, nana." She said as she stood up from her seat and walked over to where the older woman was standing. She pulled her nana into her side, lifting her shirt up slightly with her other hand, conveniently giving Regina an unobstructed view of her toned stomach. "I have over 15 years of soccer under my belt, and the inability to let go of a beautiful game that you taught me to love."

Johanna rolled her eyes even as her lips involuntarily twitched into a smile. She should've known better than to goad her granddaughter wouldn't hesitate to show off her physique if she was presented with the opportunity to do so, and all it took was one look at Emma's face to make it all worth it. They both smiled at each other for a few seconds before turning their attention to the brunette woman that was sitting quietly in her seat, staring off at Emma's exposed stomach in a haze.

"Patito, bájate la camisa que ya tienes boba ha la pobre muchacha." [ _Duckling, put your shirt down. You've already stupefied the poor girl._ ] Johanna playfully scolded Emma as she tugged gently at the bottom of the blonde's shirt, putting it back in its rightful place.

Emma looked at her nana, her eyebrows raising in amusement as Regina avoided meeting either one of their gazes as she gathered everything off of their table and quickly walked away towards the trash can to throw it all away, her cheeks slightly tinted pint.

Johanna pulled her granddaughter closer, hugging her tightly as she spoke. "Patito, I know that Storybrooke isn't the most dangerous of towns, but I still want you both to be careful when you make your way to your apartment." She let go and looked up, smiling when Emma nodded her head. "Me dejas saber cuando hayan llegado." [ _Let me know when you guys have arrived._ ]

"Si, señora." Emma said with a gentle smile. "Muchas gracias por todo, nana."

"De nada, Patito." Johanna said as she gently cupped Emma's cheeks in her hands. Emma, knowing what it was that her nana wanted to do, bent down slightly so that the 5'1 woman could place a kiss on her forehead.

"Regina, it was truly a pleasure to meet you tonight." Johanna said when she spotted the brunette woman start making her way back over to them. She'd noticed that Regina had kept her distance, not wanting to interrupt their moment. "De verdad que yo creo que todas las maravillas que Augustine habló de ti resultaran ser ciertas. Te me cuidas. Espero verte otra vez y que sea pronto." [ _Seriously, I think that all of the wonderful things that Augustine said about you will be true. Take care of yourself for me. I hope to see you again…soon._ ]

"Lo mismo digo yo." [ _I say the same._ ] Regina responded with a bright smile on her face. "August has said nothing but great things about you, and after tasting your food tonight, it's obvious who he learned everything he knows about cooking from."

Johanna walked up to Regina and pulled her into a hug, smiling slightly as she felt the younger woman tense for a few seconds before she relaxed into the embrace. "Gracias por ser tan paciente y esperar el tiempo necesario para que ella estuviera lista." [ _Thank you for being so patient and waiting for her to be ready._ ] She whispered into her ear, making sure that her granddaughter wouldn't be able to her her. Yo tengo un buen presentimiento cuando de ustedes se trata." [ _I have a good feeling where the two of you are concerned._ ]


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: Inspiration struck! Thankfully, I was able to get enough time away from my day-to-day responsibilities to write this chapter and post it a lot earlier than I originally thought I'd be able to, so here you are. Happy reading!**

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"August and Killian haven't always gotten along." Emma said as the two women made their way down the sidewalk, making their way in the direction of the blonde's apartment building. "And sometimes they revert back to their teenage selves, but as we've all gotten older, those moments of reverting become rarer." She continued, squeezing Regina's hand slightly while she swung the plastic bag that held her brother's food in her other hand.

"Why didn't they get along?" Regina asked her curiously.

"I'm actually surprised that August hasn't already to you." Emma told her as she threw a smile in Regina's direction. "Killian and I started our freshman year in high school the same year that August started his junior year, and unfortunately for my brother and me, we didn't get to see as much of each other as would've liked because between school, work, and extracurricular activities, we got busy, so I started spending more time with Killian instead."

"August was jealous." Regina stated, suddenly understanding why her best friend might've negated to mention any of this to her before.

"Yeah, he was jealous. He didn't have a single reason to be though, and he would've known that if he'd only bothered to talk to me instead of jumping to conclusions." Emma told her with roll of her eyes as she thought back to how her older brother had behaved towards her and Killian back then. "I, uh, I realized that I was attracted to women when I was a sophomore, and Killian kind of helped me through it all. I mean, we didn't, you know, draw diagrams or write essays about it or anything, but he was there offering me a shoulder to lean on while tried to figure myself out and all." Emma continued to swing the bag of food she carried as she spoke. "Killian helped me prepare myself to tell my parents, my nana, and August. He reminded me of how loving, caring, and supportive my family had always been where I was concerned, and he was adamant that that wouldn't change once I told them the truth because at the end of the day, my family wanted my happiness more than anything, regardless of how I found it, or with who."

"Killian seems like a really great guy. I understand why August might've felt threatened by his presence in your life." Regina told her with a smile on her face. There was definitely a lot more to the drenched guy she'd barely gotten the opportunity to get to know earlier that night.

"Yeah, he is a really great guy." Emma agreed with a smile of her own. "I gave him more than one good reason to run for the hills and never look back, but he always stayed no matter what, the stubborn moron."

Regina couldn't help but laugh. "Oh, you're calling him a moron now, but there's no denying that as stubborn as he is, he means a lot to you, guyliner and all."

Emma didn't bother with trying to contain her own laughter. "Oh, so you did notice the eyeliner."

"I did. He wears it surprisingly well."

"I'll be sure to let him know you think so." Emma told her as her laughter died down. "But you're right. He does mean a lot to me, almost as much as my moronic older brother does, which is why it bothered me so damn much that the two of them couldn't seem to get their shit together and get along."

"What happened that made them start getting along?"

"Well, they weren't given much of a choice to be honest. I gave them an ultimatum." Emma stated matter-of-fact-ly. "I went to soccer practice after school one day, after I'd agreed to meet Killian in the school's patio one practice was over so that we could walk to my house. We were planning to study for a test that we were having at the end of the week. When I got there, I found my brother and my best friend fighting."

"They fought?!" Regina asked surprised, but her carried some poorly concealed amusement.

"Yes, they did."

"Did they hurt each other?"

"No, they didn't. Well, not badly anyway. August gave Killian a black eye and Killian busted August's lip, but that was as bad as it got." Emma told her, not bothering to suppress her own amusement as she remembered how they'd looked when she broke their fight up. "I think I was more disappointed with them then I was angry, and I think that knowing that they'd disappointed me bothered them in the long run."

"What did you say to them?"

"Well, I told them point blank that I was sick and tired of their bullshit attitude towards each other, and that I refused to deal with either one of their moronic behavior any longer." Emma answered, some of the irritation that she'd felt that day creeping back into her voice until she felt a gentle squeeze on her hand, the action making the feeling disappear as quickly as it'd had appeared. "They, uh, they tried to make a case for themselves, but by that point I just wasn't having it, so I told them to get their shit together and walked away without letting them get another word in."

"So, they eventually got their shit together."

"Yes, they did." Emma confirmed with a nod of her head.

"How did that happen?"

"Honestly, I don't know all of the details of what happened because I wasn't there, but apparently they ended up walking to Granny's Diner together shortly after I left them at the school, and unfortunately for the two of them, they were not only forced to face Eugenia's wrath, but Johanna's as well." Emma couldn't help but smirk. "August and Killian both say to this day that they walked into the restaurant with the intention of talking everything out between them anyway, but neither granny nor nana were willing to give them a choice in the matter either way."

Regina found herself laughing lightly as she pictured younger versions of August and Killian being scolded by the two older women who were both forces to be reckoned with. "How did they get you to listen to them?"

"They showed up at my parents' hose with their tails tucked between their legs. Their faces had been scrubbed clean of dirt and blood, and their minor injuries had been treated." Emma told her as she shook her head in exasperation at the memory. "The two of them stood there staring at me for what felt like an eternity. My guess is that they didn't think to pick a spokesperson before they walked into my room to apologize, or whatever, so they were both just waiting for the other one to start talking." Emma continued with a light laugh. "So, after an awkward minute or two of silence and staring, they started talking over each other, trying to apologize at the same time. I didn't understand a single word they said, but I knew that they were genuinely sorry."

"And they became friends after that."

"No, not really. They just had a bit of a tentative truce going on until the day that the two of them got them got themselves suspended for fighting."

"They fought again?!"

"Uh, no. There was a guy at our school that had started spreading unflattering rumors about me, and Killian found out about it and immediately told August. The two of them talked it out and decided to confront the guy, who happened to be sitting with one of his own friends. They fought, and the guy that had been behind starting the rumors was knocked out with a single punch that my brother threw at his face, and Killian broke the other guy's nose."

"They're protective of you." Regina stated with a knowing smile.

"Yes, very."

"Good."

Emma couldn't help but smile when she heard the assertiveness in the brunette's voice when she spoke that one word. "Yeah, luckily, it seems you've already won one of them over, and he's usually the harder of the two to impress."

Regina couldn't help but laugh. "Oh, it wasn't easy, but I think that it was definitely worth it." She said as she turned her head to look in Emma's direction, an honest smile on her face, silently reassuring the other woman that she meant what she said.

"Well, we'll see if you're still thinking the same way at the end of the night." Emma responded with a teasing smile, succeeding in alleviating the seriousness of their moment with her playful words and a light squeeze of Regina's hand. "They're going to want to know how we met when we get to my apartment, you know."

"Yeah, I figured that they would want to know." Regina told her with a sigh. "I almost gave into the temptation to kick your brother in the shin under the table when he asked me how we met." She continued with a roll of her eyes, a smirk appearing on her face as she remembered something. "Luckily for me, they all wanted you to pick up where I left off."

"Oh, crap." Emma muttered loudly, her lips twitching upwards as the brunette's laughter spilled into the night air.

 _God, that has to be one of the most beautiful sounds in the world._

The continued to walk along in comfortable silence, and when they were less than two blocks away from Emma's apartment building, the blonde was hit with the realization that her friends would not only want to know exactly how she and Regina had gotten to where they currently were, but they would want to know every single detail. She stopped walking, letting her hand slip slowly out of Regina's, which put a stop to the other woman's movements. "Regina, I'm going to tell them that I didn't go through with my dare." Emma knew that she had to explain herself better once she saw the confusion the brunette's face. "Okay, so here's the thing, they're going to want to know every single detail-

"And you don't want them to know every single detail."

"Exactly! I love how we met, I really do. And I love that we took those pictures while we were in the photo booth and that I get to keep two of them, but I really want that particular memory to be ours and ours alone." Emma explained somewhat shyly, her attention on the foot that she started to scuff against the ground.

"Wow. You really are charming, aren't you…" Regina stated more than asked, a smile on her face as she watched the blonde who was still intently looking down, watching her own actions in rapt attention as her cheeks began to redden. The brunette didn't hesitate to gently cup Emma's cheeks between her hands, lifting her head up slightly as she tenderly stroked porcelain skin as their eyes met. "Is that really what you want to do?"

"Yeah, I don't want to have that memory, or any other part of our date, I mean, our night, or whatever-"

"Our date, Emma." Regina stated, interrupting the blonde's rambling.

"Yeah?" Emma asked her with a grin, jade eyes twinkling with happiness.

"Absolutely." Regina answered her with a grin of her own.

Emma's grin broke out into a full-blown smile as she placed her free hand on the brunette's waist and pulled her towards herself, pressing their bodies together as their lips met. The blonde found herself struggling to pull herself away from the other woman, finding it all the more difficult when she felt Regina take a step closer to her, her lips seemingly chasing after Emma's whenever the blonde attempted to put a little bit of distance between them, and Emma was enjoying herself and the attention her lips were getting too much to care.

When the two of them were close to running out of oxygen, they finally broke apart and Emma rested her forehead against Regina's a smile of contentment on her face that matched the brunette's. "Best first date ever."


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note: I think it's about time that Emma and Regina rejoin the rest of the group, don't you? Happy reading!**

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"Well, maybe we should put it to a vote." Killian exclaimed, extending his arms slightly at his sides in agitation.

Four pairs of eyes rolled in unison, the rest of the group looking around to see which one of them would elect themselves as their spokesperson. "Killian, we're not going to bother putting this to a vote. I'm sorry, but you're not going to win this one." August explained in exasperation.

"But I hardly think you guys are being fair." Killian muttered as crossed his arms, walking to where his girlfriend was already sitting on the couch and dropped into the empty space between her and August. "If Swan were here, she'd definitely be on my side." He grumbled.

"Wait, have you forgotten that I'm a Swan too?" August asked him with a sigh of exasperation, rolling his eyes when Killian looked at him with his eyebrows furrowed in momentary confusion.

"Oh, whatever." Killian muttered. "You know as well as everyone else that I was talking about your sister."

"Hey, speaking of Emma, where is she?" Ruby asked, looking towards August from where she was sitting on a black leather recliner, Belle sitting comfortably in her lap with Ruby's arms wrapped loosely around her girlfriend's waist. "She left the diner with you, Belle, and the pretty brunette earlier, so where did she go? Wait! Is she with the pretty brunette?!"

"Most of us are pretty brunettes!" Killian exclaimed with a laugh. "OW! Mil, I was just joking. Damn it, that hurt." He muttered as he rubbed at his chest where Milah had smacked him.

"Focus, dude!" Ruby told him with a sigh before she returned her attention to Emma's older brother. "I'm genuinely surprised that you don't seem at all worried about your little sister's whereabouts."

"Well, to be honest, I don't think I have to be." August explained, shrugging his shoulders and trying to ignore the incredulous looks that he was getting from most of his friends.

"Oh, really, and why is that?" Ruby asked him, his attempt at nonchalant behavior making her curiosity grow. She couldn't help but wonder why Emma's Brother Bear didn't seem to be all that worried about where his little sister was, or with whom. It was unlike him. "Hell, with that overprotective streak that you have, and with Killian's not being much better, it's kind of weird that neither one of you seem to be all that concerned about her right now."

"Emma and Regina told us that they were going to stop and grab themselves something to eat somewhere before they joined us here." Belle told the group, watching subtly as Killian turned his attention to August, the cogs seeming to turn in his head as he met August's gaze, silently asking whether Ruby had a point about their lack of concern for Emma's absence.

August kept Killian's gaze for a few seconds, silently reassuring the other man that there was no need to be worried before he looked towards Belle, thanking her without words for intervening.

"Well, why didn't they just grab something to eat while we were all at Granny's?" Ruby asked, feeling like she was somehow being left out of the loop.

"Maybe it's because they didn't really get a chance to order anything before these two got us kicked out of Granny's for arguing." Emma said as she walked into the living room with Regina in tow, they were no longer holding hands, but they were still standing close enough for their fingers to brush. "I have a special delivery for Augustine." She continued as she held her up the bag of food in her brother's direction, shaking it slightly, letting him know that he'd have to get up and grab the good himself if he really wanted it.

"Well, Swan, since you've decided to grace us all with your presence, we can finally put it to a vote!" Killian exclaimed with a smile on his face, his eyes twinkling and eyeliner-free. He'd rid himself of his soaked clothing and changed into gym shorts and a t-shirt once he'd arrived at the apartment, and the difference in wardrobe had him looking a few years younger.

"Okay. Wait, what are we putting to a vote?" Emma asked, a smirk appearing on her face as she heard her friends collectively groan around her. She looked around the room and she saw identical looks of exasperation on their faces. Her eyes landed on the television set in the middle of the living room had Netflix open and the first Scream movie queued and ready to be played. "Are we starting a Scream-a-thon?"

"Emma, please, we're begging you…" Milah started with a roll of her eyes. "Please, don't encourage him. It's only been a few weeks since the last time that we had to sit through all of those movies, so there's no reason to watch them again so soon."

"Listen to Milah, Em. She makes a very good point." Ruby added. "Now that you've finally shown up, we can finish up with our Dare Night, so we won't need to start another Scream-a-thon tonight."

"Uh, I'm actually okay with putting an end to Dare Night early." August spoke up from where he'd been devouring his food as if he hadn't eaten in days.

"Oh, come on now, August. There's no need to be shy. Your legs looked pretty damn great in that skirt." Ruby told him mischievously. "Hell, if you have it, flaunt it. She continued with a smirk.

"Shut up, Ruby." August grumbled as he stuffed the rest of his second taco into his mouth, chewed and washed it down with a sip of his soda.

"Okay, make yourselves comfortable so that we can wrap this all up." Ruby said as she looked at Emma and Regina who were the only ones who had yet to sit down. She wiggled slightly in her own seat, Belle lifting herself slightly off of her lap for a moment so that they could both get more comfortable.

Emma grabbed Regina's hand, pulling her behind herself as she walked to where August was sitting on the couch and let go of the brunette's hand as she dropped onto the carpeted floor at her brother's feet. She leaned against the couch, reaching up without hesitation to grab Regina's hand again and pull her into herself.

Regina settled in between Emma's legs comfortably. She rested her back against the blonde's front, extending her legs between Emma's, her lips tugging upward as she felt the other woman's hands settle onto her waist.

Emma turned her head slightly in Regina's direction, her lips coming close enough to graze the other woman's ear, and a small smile appearing on her face when she felt the brunette shiver against her. "Are you comfortable?" She asked Regina in a whisper. She waited until she saw Regina nod her head before she allowed herself to relax her posture. She started slightly when she looked up and realized that all of her friends were blatantly staring at her. "What?"

August tried and failed to contain his laughter when he heard the genuine confusion in his sister's voice, he tried to disguise it as a clearing of his throat, only to start coughing when a bit of the food that he'd been chewing went down the wrong pipe.

"Clearly, that runs in the family." Regina muttered just loudly enough for Emma to hear, a smirk appearing on her lips when Emma's hands tightened at her waist in a silent warning.

"What did I miss?" Ruby asked, breaking the somewhat awkward silence that had developed around the rest of the group.

"Not much. I mean, August just choked on one of his tacos…" Emma answered her question much too innocently. "And now we're all sitting here waiting on you to tell us how to finish up tonight's activity, which you insisted that we all participate in." She said as she looked pointedly at Ruby, silently letting the brunette know that she had no intention of cluing her friends in on what was going on between her and Regina, at least not yet.

"Okay, so who's going to volunteer to go first?" Belle asked, putting an end to the staring contest going on between Emma and Ruby.

"I'll go." Killian said with a raise of his hand. He cleared his throat, trying to pretend that he couldn't feel the tension that was still heavily hanging around them. He knew that Emma would talk to him when she was ready to tell him what was going on, and he had no intention of pushing her. "I was dared to break into the zoo after hours and capture one of the animals there, so I went in and captured one of the turtles that were being held in the reptile house." Killian stopped talking, turning his head to glare at the Swan siblings who had started laughing the second he told the group what animal it was he had captured. "Oh, shut up, the both of you."

"We're sorry. That must've been very difficult for you." August said, his voice cracking as he tried to contain a chuckle.

"He did capture the turtle, but he grew remorseful and decided that he wanted to set it free in the wild instead of bringing it with us." Milah continued telling the story where he boyfriend, who was now sitting with a pout on his face, had left off. "But that didn't really work out how he wanted it to, as I'm sure all of you already knew, but he did go through with his dare." She finished in annoyance that held a hint of fondness as she turned her head slightly to press a kiss to Killian's scruffy cheek.

"Okay, I'll go next." August said. "I was dared to dress in a Girl Scout uniform. You know, the skirt, knee-high socks, which I don't think they even wear anymore to be honest, the vest, and all. And I had to try to sell a box or two of cookies." He rolled his eyes when he heard Killian's laughter, knowing he couldn't say a word about it after he'd laughed at him. "I did what the card said had to do. I think Belle might've actually gotten a video of the moment when an older woman slammed her front door in my face. I didn't even get a chance to finish the first sentence on my cue card." He finished with a grunt.

"Ruby was right, you know." Belle told the group with a smirk. "His legs did look pretty damn good in that skirt." She laughed. "I didn't think it was necessary to show you guys the video since I was there to witness the whole thing, so I deleted it." Belle said with a shrug of her shoulders as Killian and Ruby whined their objections.

"Well, I was dared to go into the town cemetery and take a picture of myself while standing in one of the freshly dug graves." Milah said as she rolled her eyes at Killian and Ruby's behavior. "Killian took a picture of me from where he was standing outside of the grave. He almost fell into the grave himself when he was trying to help me get out of it." She said as she crossed her arms over her chest, unable to keep the annoyed look on her face when she felt her boyfriend press a gentle kiss to her neck in silent apology.

"They're kind of adorable when they're not arguing with each other, aren't they?" Emma asked Regina in a whisper, smiling when the brunette nodded her head in agreement.

"I didn't do what I was dare to do." Belle told the group. "I was dared to go to the restaurant of my choice, order whatever I wanted off of the menu, and walk out without paying my bill. Unlike you lot, I'm not fond of facing Granny or Nana's wrath, and we all know that they could've easily found out what happened if I would've gone through with it, so don't any of you bother trying to convince me of otherwise." She said as she looked pointedly around the room, watching as the rest of the group simply nodded their heads in agreement, Regina included.

"I was dared to return a few items of clothing that were purchased at different stores in the mall." Ruby started to tell the group.

"There's nothing daring about that." Killian told her with a scoff.

"I had to return everything while I was still wearing them, underwear included." Ruby stated with a smirk on her face. "August and Belle came along with me as my witnesses to make sure that no one could get close enough to the goods." Ruby stopped, wincing when she felt her girlfriend's nails dig into her forearm, but otherwise refused to acknowledge it. "I didn't get to finish my dare, but I did start it." She said with a shrug of her shoulders.

"What kept you from being able to finish it?" Emma asked her with eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Well, uh- I was in Victoria's Secret, shirtless and getting ready to return the bra that I was wearing, but while I was walking up to talk to the store clerk, one of the mall's security officers showed up to try to take me in…" Ruby answered her somewhat sheepishly.

"Wait, so you almost got yourself arrested for indecent exposure?" Emma asked, obviously amused.

"Yeah, I did." Ruby answered with a nod of her head and a mischievous grin on her lips. "Thankfully, the store clerk decided to intervene by _accidentally_ tripping the security officer when he tried to run after me. Honestly, I think that she liked what she saw and she just wanted to protect- Ow! Babe, I was just joking!" Ruby whined as she rubbed her forearm where Belle had dug her nails in much deeper than she had the first time.

Belle wore a satisfied smirk on her face as she turned her head slightly to capture Ruby's lips in a kiss, smiling more genuinely when she felt the pout that had settled on her girlfriend's lips dissipate.

Emma couldn't help but laugh quietly to herself, shifting her hands from the position where she'd had them on Regina's waist so that she could wrap her arms fully around the other woman as she continued to watch Belle and Ruby's interaction.

The blonde's thoughts started to drift rather quickly to the woman that she held in arms. She couldn't help but think about how natural it felt to be in that moment with Regina. She couldn't remember the last time that she felt so calm and at peace with anyone outside of her family and her closest friends, yet with the brunette, that's exactly what she felt.

She shook herself out of her thoughts after a minute of two of comfortable silence amongst the group. "Well, I guess that I'm the only one who hasn't gone…I was dared to make-out with a stranger in a photo booth, but I didn't do it."

"You didn't?" Ruby asked her with genuine curiosity as she looked from Emma to Regina. She had yet to understand how it was possible that the two of them already seemed to be so familiar with each other. When she'd sent Emma off to do her dare, the blonde woman had left begrudgingly, but alone nonetheless, yet when she'd returned to Granny's Diner, she'd not only later than everyone else, but she'd been in the company of a beautiful brunette that Ruby couldn't remember seeing before. "Why not?"

"Because I wouldn't have felt comfortable trying to convince a stranger into making out with me." Emma answered her somewhat tensely, uncomfortable as ever with being put on the spot and making sure to avoid her friend's gaze as she explained her reasoning.

The tension that she'd felt so strongly seemed to melt away instantaneously when she felt Regina's hand settled onto her knee, the other woman's nails scratching lightly at the fabric of her skinny jeans.

August tapped his foot against his sister's leg subtly, silently reassuring his little sister in his own way without bringing any unnecessary attention to either one of them, and a small smile etched onto his face when he noticed that Regina had also found a way to alleviate Emma's tension.

Ruby looked down, feeling a bit guilty as she took into account what Emma had said, and how uncomfortable she'd sounded when she said it. It had never been her intention to put one of her best friends into an awkward situation where she wouldn't be able to be at ease with herself. When she'd thought up the idea of Dare Night, she'd been hoping to have a memorable night in the company of the people that she loved the most, no matter how annoying the lot of them could sometimes be, she wanted nothing more than for all of them to enjoy themselves, and as long as that had been accomplished, she couldn't bring herself to care about anything else. She knew that she'd simply allowed herself to get a little bit too caught up in it all. "I think we can all understand what you mean, Em. I know that you know that it wasn't my intention to make you feel uncomfortable, it was more about you enjoying yourself like the rest of us tonight, you know?"

"Yeah, I know, Rubes. Don't get me wrong. I did enjoy myself, so mission accomplished." Emma answered with a smile on her face, knowing that while she had no intention of telling her friends that she'd actually gone through with what she was dared to do, she'd eventually have to give Ruby credit for unknowingly playing a part in getting her to where she was now, sitting amongst her family of friends with a beautiful brunette in her arms.


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note: Hey, everyone! *waves* I hope you've all be well! I know that I haven't updated in a long time, but unfortunately, work has been a bit hectic lately.**

 **Here's a new chapter! Happy reading!**

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"Your friends are behaving like children. Actually, I think my niece and nephew behave more maturely than they do." Regina whispered quietly in Emma's direction, a hint of amusement in her voice as they continued to watch as Killian and Ruby continued to argue in the middle of the living room.

"Yeah, they definitely have their moments of immaturity." Emma agreed with a whisper of her own, a fond smile on her face as she rolled her eyes at her two friends. "Ruby's going to pull me into their argument soon."

"How do you know that she's going to do that?" Regina asked in genuine confusion.

"They've had this argument before." Emma sighed deeply as she prepared herself to explain. "She's going to blame me because I sided with Killian-"

"Damn it, Emma. This is your fault for siding with Killian!" Ruby exclaimed in agitation, interrupting the blonde mid-explanation. "We wouldn't have had to watch that crappy movie again if you've sided with me." She continued, shooting Emma a glare.

Emma let her head drop onto Regina's shoulder with a soft thump as she groaned. "Damn it." She muttered quietly, her lips twitching into a small smile when she felt Regina's shoulders start to shake with the other woman's silent laughter. "It's not funny, Regina." She whispered.

Regina bit her lip trying to keep herself from laughing out loud as she looked up to see that Ruby was still glaring at Emma while the blonde chose to hid her face into Regina's neck. Emma pressed a gentle kiss to Regina's neck, causing the other woman to shiver involuntarily.

"Emma!" Ruby exclaimed, successfully startling the blonde out of the moment that she was sharing with Regina.

"Crap." Emma muttered, her lips brushing against Regina's neck as she did so. She begrudgingly shifted herself and Regina as looked up to meet Ruby's glare with one of her own. "In my defense, Rubes, you were mouthing along to the lines by the time that we got to the third murder."

"No, I didn't!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Yes, you did." Everyone else argued.

"I did not!"

"Oh, boy." August muttered. "I'll be in the kitchen." He said, knowing that only Emma and Regina had actually heard him. He got up and made his way out of the living room, leaving everyone else to watch as Killian and Ruby continued to argue.

"So, how do these arguments usually end?" Regina asked Emma.

"We'll watch Scream 2. Which is why my brother walked into the kitchen. He knows by now that we're going to need snacks."

"Seriously?" Regina asked, bewilderment in her voice.

"Yeah, you'll get used to it."

Regina chose to not allow herself to think too much about the implications of what Emma had just said, but she was unable to keep herself from smiling at the thought that nights like this in the company of Emma, her best friend, and their friends would someday become a common occurrence. "Emma, it's getting late and I'll have to be leaving soon."

"Yeah, I know." Emma said as she tightened her arms around Regina's waist, hugging her to herself as she placed her chin on the brunette's shoulder. "I can walk you home."

"I would love that, I really would, but I think it's best if I ask my sister if she can pick me up." Regina told her as she rubbed the blonde's arms lightly with her hands.

"Are you sure?" Emma asked. "I don't mind, really."

"There you go, once again trying to use that Swan Charm you claim to have." Regina teased her with a smile.

"Whatever." Emma muttered, not bothering to argue.

"I'll text Zelena and let her know where to come pick me up."

"Okay, but I'll be walking you to your car. No arguments."

"I wouldn't dream of it." Regina said with a bright smile on her face, wiggling slightly in Emma's embrace to grab her phone out of her pocket. She sat there and sent a text to Zelena, handing her phone over to Emma without hesitation when her sister asked her to send her the address of where she was. When the blonde handed her phone back to her, she slipped it back into her pocket. "Do you think your friends would notice if I were to walk out of the living room?" She asked, her attention on the doorway that August had disappeared behind a few minutes earlier.

"Honestly, I doubt it." Emma told her as she turned her head from where her friends were still arguing, to the doorway that led into her kitchen. "They're going to argue for another five to ten minutes, and by the end of it, we'll be starting the second movie."

"How often exactly does this happen?" Regina asked her, looking to the side to meet the blonde's gaze, a smile on her face mirroring the smile already on Emma's.

"More often than they'll ever admit." Emma told her with a light chuckle. "If you want to go talk to my brother for a little bit, the only one who might notice your absence will be Belle, but she won't say a word to anyone about it, especially not Ruby."

"Why wouldn't she tell Ruby?" Regina asked her with genuine confusion.

"Because while she's Ruby's girlfriend, Belle is also my friend, and she respects my privacy, and she'll make sure that it's okay with me that she talks about anything with Ruby before she does." Emma explained without hesitation. "Go. I'll meet you in the kitchen after they've started the second movie. You should be able to talk to my brother without interruptions until then." Emma told her as she tenderly kissed the brunette's cheek, before she helped the other woman lift herself up off of the floor, watching with a smile as Regina walked into the kitchen.

Emma returned her attention to her friends, her cheeks reddening slightly when she realized that Belle had been watching her interaction with Regina. Belle simply tilted her lips upwards in a small smile and shot the blonde a subtle wink.

Regina walked into the kitchen quietly, watching as August dug into different cabinets and came away with an assortment of potato chips and candy. "August, I need to ask you a question." Regina bit her lip to keep herself from laughing when she realized that she'd startled him, and waited until he turned around to look at her, and nodded for her to continue. "Were you behind Emma's dare?" She asked, making sure she kept his gaze.

She could see the confusion in his eyes, his eyebrows furrowing as he repeated what she'd asked in his head. "No, Regina, I wasn't behind her dare." He watched as Regina tilted her head to the side, crossed her arms, and blinked. She didn't believe him. "I'm telling the truth!" He exclaimed, only to have her shush him. He rolled his eyes, continuing in a much quieter voice. "Hell, I wouldn't have even known what she'd been dared to do if we hadn't shared our dares earlier. Why does it even matter? It's not like my little sister went through with it anyway. You got to her first."

Regina couldn't help but laugh. "Okay, okay. I believe you. There's no need for you to get so defensive." Regina told him with a smile, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "And you're right. I did get to her first."

"Huh."

"What?" Regina asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

"Why did you say it like that?"

"Like what?"

"Like there's something that you're not telling me." He told her while eyeing her suspiciously. "Wait, my little sister was dared to make-out with a stranger in a photo booth. Were you the stranger?!" He asked her, his voice raising an octave or two and making Regina wince.

"I was." Regina answered him.

"So, you made out with my little sister?!" August stopped talking when he saw the glare that Regina was aiming at him. "I'm sorry." He whispered. "But not only did you make-out with my little sister, she also lied about not doing her dare. Why did she lie?" August asked her, his head tilting in confusion in a way that reminded Regina so much of Emma. "I don't get it."

"She had her reasons." Regina answered vaguely with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Oh, no." August said with a chuckle. "You know exactly what her reasons were, and you're not going to tell me." Regina simply smiled innocently. "Damn it! You're not even officially dating yet, and you're already keeping my little sister's secrets." He set his lips into a pout as he looked met her gaze. "That's supposed to be my job, you know."

"What's supposed to be your job?" Emma asked him from where she was standing behind him, startling him in the process.

August ran his hands through his curls and looked at Regina, silently asking her with his eyes to agree with him before he cleared his throat. "Nothing."

"Your darling older brother seems to think that keeping your secrets is HIS job, my dear." Regina told Emma with an innocent smile on her face, the smugness in her voice giving away how much she was enjoying messing with her best friend. "It seems he's not too happy with not knowing why you lied about your dare."

"Traitor." August muttered under his breath. "I don't care that she hasn't told me about it yet, she'll be telling me later."

"Oh, is that so?" Regina asked him with a smirk.

Emma bit her lip trying to keep herself from smiling, but with the knowing look on August's face when their gazes met, the teasing smile on Regina's face and the other woman's inability to wink at her without both of her eyes closing, it was impossible.

 _God, this woman is so goddamn adorable._

August looked at Emma expectantly, waiting for her to confirm his words before a smile broke out on his face. "I knew it!" He exclaimed.

"You do know that that doesn't mean I'm going to tell you **right now** , right?" Emma asked him with a smirk.

"What! Why not?!" August asked, grimacing slightly when he heard the whine in his voice, but with one glance in Emma's direction, he knew that him behaving like a child wasn't going to get him anywhere, so he stuffed his hands into the back-pockets of his jeans. Sighing in defeat, he spoke in a calmer voice. "Okay, I'll wait patiently for you to tell me why."

"Good."

"Guys, I really hate to interrupt you, but it's getting really late and I think it's time that I head home." Regina told them after a few seconds of comfortable silence between the three of them.

"Do you want me to give you a ride?" August asked her.

"No, that won't be necessary, but thank you. I already called Zelena and she agreed to pick me up." Regina's phone vibrated in her hand, alerting her to a text message. "She says she'll be here in a few minutes."

"I'll walk you downstairs." Emma told her, not bothering to look in her brother's direction, knowing that if she did, he'd have a shit-eating grin on his face.

August cleared his throat, his eyes twinkling mischievously as walked up to Regina and extended his hand out for the brunette woman to shake. "It's always a pleasure to see you, Regina, and with how my little sister can't seem to stop smiling whenever she looks at you, I'm sure that she agrees."

Regina shook her head, laughter escaping her lips as she pushed August's hand away, taking him by surprise as she pulled him into a tight hug. "Thank you so much, August." Regina whispered in his ear, grip on him tightening slightly when her gaze met Emma's over August's shoulder.

"You've very welcome, Regina." August whispered back to her as he tightened his own arms around her before he gently pulled himself away from their hug. He pulled Regina into his side and put his arms around her shoulders, he met his little sister's gaze and found himself smiling at the light he saw in her eyes. He returned his attention to Regina, squeezing shoulder lightly to get her attention, she waited until she looked up to meet his eyes before he spoke in a whisper quiet enough that Emma wouldn't be able to hear him. "I was happy to help, really. I would to do anything to keep that beautiful smile on my little sister's face."

Emma looked down at her shoes, scuffing the ground and a bright blush developing on her cheeks. She didn't know what it was her bother had said to Regina, but she didn't have to hear it to know that her reaction wasn't unwarranted. "I'm going to take that as my queue to leave." August said, chuckling lightly to himself as he let his arm drop from around Regina's shoulders. "Good night, Regina." He said, he tilted his head at them both before he turned around and make his way back into the living room where the rest of their friends were still hanging out.

Emma kept her eyes on the ground until she was certain that her brother had walked out of the kitchen. "So, uh, are you ready to go?" She asked as she lifted her eyes to meet Regina's gaze.

"Yeah, I am…" Regina answered somewhat reluctantly. "Do you think it's stupid to say that I don't want to leave?"

"No, I don't think it's stupid at all." Emma answered without hesitation. "I really don't want you to leave to be honest." She continued as she reached out to grab the brunette's hand, pulling her gently into a tight embrace of their own and allowing herself to relish in the feeling of having the other woman in her arms.

"I think we should probably get going before your friends decide to walk into the kitchen. I'm pretty sure that I heard Killian complaining to Milah about being hungry a few minutes ago." Regina said after they finally pulled themselves away from each other.

Emma couldn't help but laugh as she grabbed the other woman's hand again and started walking towards the door, their fingers lacing together as Emma's other hand grasped the doorknob and turned it.


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note: Hey, everybody! Happy reading!**

* * *

The two women carefully made their way down the stairwell of Emma's apartment. Their hands were still clasped together, their fingers intertwined as Regina walked a few steps ahead of the blonde.

Regina smiled to herself as her thoughts began to slightly drift. She found herself thinking about how great her night with the other woman and her friends had been, and she couldn't help but wonder how exactly it was that she'd gotten so lucky where Emma was concerned.

She'd finally gotten the chance to meet Emma, to get to know more about the Sleeping Beauty who had invaded her thoughts without having spoken a single word. She now knew for herself how incredible it was to be in the other woman's company.

"What are you doing next weekend?" Emma asked, breaking the comfortable silence that they'd been walking in. "Do you have any plans?"

"I don't have anything planned." Regina said with a slightly pensive look on her face. "Did you want to change that?"

"Absolutely!" Emma answered immediately. "I mean, yeah." She sputtered out somewhat timidly. "I know that we haven't even said our goodbyes tonight, but I'm already thinking about the next time that I'll get to see you." She finished much more confidently as they made their way into the apartment's lobby.

Regina stopped walking, turning around to face Emma without letting go of the other woman's hand. "You know, as much I'm surely going to regret admitting this to you, that Swan Charm of yours has won you a few extra points tonight." She told her as she reached out with her other hand and pulled the blonde into her by the lapel of her leather jacket.

"Oh, yeah?" Emma asked, her eyes twinkling and a mischievous smile appearing on her lips as she let her gaze drift to the brunette's full lips. She found herself momentarily mesmerized as the woman's tongue peaked out from between them and passed over her bottom lip, leaving it glistening and looking all the more delectable to her. The blonde cleared her throat and looked away, only to look back and watch as a small, teasing smirk appeared on those lips. "Oh, you're all kinds of evil." She groaned.

Regina laughed as she tightened her grip on the lapel of Emma's jacket and pulled her close, not hesitating to press their lips together and mold them into a kiss that took the blonde's breath away. Regina smiled into their kiss as she felt Emma pull her closer into herself by her waist with her other hand. The brunette squeezed their intertwined fingers as their kiss continued to deepen and she struggled to contain her groan of displeasure when Emma pulled away enough to speak.

"Are you sure that you don't want to stay?" Emma muttered her question against Regina's lips, all too reluctantly to put any more space between the two of them.

"Oh, well, that's a bit forward of you to ask, don't you think so?" Regina asked with a smirk on her lips that only grew when she noticed how often Emma's gaze drifted to her lips as she spoke.

"Wait, I didn't mean it like- we're watching movies all night." Emma quickly rushed to explain herself as her cheeks began to redden. "I mean- Not that I would be opposed to that- I, but yeah-"

Regina rolled her eyes playfully as she reached up and covered the other woman's mouth with her hand. "I was just kidding, Emma. I know what you meant. "She told her without bothering to remove her hand. "If I could stay longer, I would, but unfortunately, I can't. Not tonight."

"So, next weekend?" Emma asked, her lips brushing against the palm of the brunette's hand that was still covering them.

Regina tried and failed to fight back a smile as she cleared her throat, removed her hand from Emma's lips, and tried to take a step back. The hand that the blonde still had on her waist kept her from moving away too far. "Is this you asking me out on a date?"

"Yes, yes, it is." Emma answered without hesitation.

"And what exactly would we be doing on this date?" Regina asked her as she brushed her hand over the lapel of the other woman's jacket. She was struggling to keep her hands to herself now that she was finally able touch the blonde.

"Whatever you want to do. We can go out to dinner, or go to the movies, or you know, maybe we'll find an empty photo booth…" Emma answered, trailing off with a cheeky smile on her face. She laughed when the brunette slapped her chest playfully.

Regina couldn't help but laugh. "If I'm being completely honest, I wouldn't be terribly opposed to that last idea of yours." She told her as she met Emma's gaze, losing herself for a moment or two in the rapidly darkening forest of greens. She watched as the other woman's eyes flickered once again from her lips to her eyes once, and then twice, and she felt herself mimicking the action as she started to lean into the blonde again, only to stop when her phone vibrated in her pocket.

She put some distance between the two of them, reluctantly letting go of Emma's hand as she pulled her phone out of her pocket and read the text message that her older sister had sent her.

 **I really hate to interrupt you, Gina, but it's time to go. Tell the beautiful blonde that I look forward to meeting her VERY soon.**

Regina rolled her eyes. "Zelena is here. I guess she's been waiting for me for a while. Apparently, she saw us standing here and she told me to tell you that she looks forward to meeting you."

"She's here?" Emma asked as she looked around the lobby, looking for a woman that might resemble Regina, only to find it empty except for herself and the brunette. "Where is she?"

"She's outside, sitting in my car. I can see her from here." Regina answered as she watched as her older sister waved at her from where she was sitting in the Black Mercedes Benz. She felt her phone vibrate repeatedly in her hand, she looked down at her screen to see an onslaught of text messages that Zelena had sent.

 **She really is beautiful.**

 **Well done, Reggie.**

 **I can't wait to get the details.**

 **I better get the details.**

 **Regina, I'm not kidding about getting the details.**

"She seems to be rather persistent." Emma said as she watched as Regina's eyebrows furrowed and her lips tightened in annoyance at whatever it was her sister had sent her. "Maybe we should walk out to your car before she loses whatever patience she has left."

"You don't need to walk out with me." Regina rushed to say as she shoved her phone back into her pocket. She winced as she realized how harsh her words might've sounded. "What I meant to say is that my sister is VERY persistent, and if you walk outside with me, she won't hesitate to keep you outside all night to interrogate you, extensively. I wouldn't want you to walk into that unprepared."

"You are all kinds of adorable, you know." Emma told her, biting her lip to keep her smile at bay. "I guess that you'll just have to make sure that I'm prepared to meet your sister...soon."

"Oh, I can definitely do that." Regina said with a smile as she met Emma's gaze, choosing to ignore the woman who was still waving eccentrically from the car parked outside. "I would love to go on a date with you next weekend, dear." She told her as she took a few steps into Emma's space and wrapped her arms around the blonde's neck without hesitation.

Emma wrapped her own arms around Regina's waist, and intertwined her fingers at the base of her lower back. "Our second date. I can't wait." She said as she leaned into the other woman and gave her a peck on the lips. "Hey, that rhymed!" She exclaimed, her eyes lighting up.

Regina laughed at how much the blonde resembled an overexcited puppy in that moment. "Idiot."

"Maybe." Emma said with a grin. "But you like me."

"Maybe." Regina said with a grin of her own. She leaned up and placed a kiss on Emma's cheek. "I had a great time with you, Emma, and I'm really looking forward to our next date."

"Me too." Emma told her as she brushed a strand of the brunette's hair behind her ear. "Hey, maybe you should give me your phone number since we're dating now. Unless, you'd prefer it if I asked my brother for it..." She trailed off with a teasing smile.

Regina rolled her eyes, and opened her mouth to respond, only to be interrupted by the blaring horn of her car. She spun around with enough speed to catch her sister with her hand still on the center of the steering wheel.

Zelena smiled impishly, and mouthed a single word at her. "Oops."

Regina glared at her sister until Zelena looked away before she returned her attention to Emma, only to find the other woman looking up at the ceiling with her lips pursed in an attempt to keep herself from laughing. "Seriously?"

Emma cleared her throat, held her hands up in surrender, and met Regina's gaze. "I shouldn't have laughed, but here's the thing, it was funny."

"Whatever." Regina muttered before she extended her hand out towards the blonde. "Let me see your phone for a moment."

Emma reached into her back pocket and pulled out her phone, unlocking the screen and handing it over to the other woman without thought, despite the confusion she felt at the request.

Regina grabbed the phone, put her contact information in, and turned her back on Emma as she took a few steps backwards until her back met the other woman's front. She pulled up the camera, made sure that the lens was facing them, and lifted the phone up. "Smile."

Emma smiled, her eyes sparkling beautiful as she wrapped her arms around Regina's waist and place her chin on the brunette's shoulder, the two of them looked into the camera lens happily as the shutter sounded. "Wait. Take another one." The blonde whispered into Regina's ear before the other woman could put her arms down.

Emma pressed her lips to Regina's cheek, unable to see the other woman's smile widening, but feeling it nonetheless where her lips rested. She waited until she heard the shutter sound before pulling back and releasing the brunette.

"I like them. I'm going to send them both to myself." Regina told her as she did just that. She put the picture of Emma kissing her cheek as her contact avatar in the blonde's phone before she handed it back to her.

Emma smiled as she looked down at Regina's contact information. She added the other woman to her Favorites before she locked her screen and shoved her phone back into her pocket. "I guess this is where we say our goodbyes." She told her with a shrug of her shoulders.

"I guess you're right." Regina responded somewhat reluctantly. She let her eyes drift over Emma, not bothering with subtleties as she allowed herself to take the other woman in. "Good night."

"Good night." Emma said as she pulled Regina into her and captured her lips in another kiss. Emma couldn't help but think about how addictive the other woman was quickly becoming to her.

Regina let herself melt into the kiss, fully intent on deepening it when the horn of her car blared once again. She groaned. "She's annoying me."

"Well, in her defense, she has been rather patient." Emma muttered against her lips.

"I suppose you're right."

"Good night, Regina."

"Good night, Emma." Regina said as she slowly pulled herself away from the other woman.

"Please, let me know when you're home. I want to know that you've made it there safely."

"I will." Regina told her with a smile on her face as she walked towards the double-doors that would lead her out of the building without turning her back on Emma. "I'll be seeing you."

"Definitely." Emma said with a grin on her face. She crossed her arms over her chest, and waited until Regina had made it safely into her car before she turned and made her way back up the stairs to her apartment where she knew her older brother was waiting to talk to her.


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Note: Hey everyone!** *waves* **Here's another chapter! Happy reading!**

* * *

"Well, that was quite the unexpected surprised that I drove up to." Zelena told her sister soon the door had been opened. She watched as the brunette slid herself into her seat and clicked her seatbelt into place. "I didn't know that you were dating someone, Reggie."

"Why in the world do you insist on calling me that?" Regina gritted out as she settled into her seat, facing the windshield as Zelena shifted the car into gear and pulled away from the curb, quickly leaving Emma's apartment behind.

"Oh, no. That poor attempt of changing to the subject to distract me isn't going to work this time, little sister." The redhead said with a laugh and a shake of her head. She waited until her laughter dissipated before she continued. "I meant what I said in that text. She's very beautiful."

Regina sighed and turned to look out her window as she thought back to the blonde woman, smiling again as she thought back to everything they'd talked about, how much she'd enjoyed being in Emma's company, and all of the kisses they'd shared that night. "Yes, she is."

"I can hear the smile in your voice, so go on! Tell me all about her!" Zelena exclaimed excitedly. "When did the two of you meet? How long have you been dating? Wait a minute, why am I only finding out about her now?! Have you talked to Marian about her? If our sister-in-law knows about her then that means Robbie probably already knows about her too!"

"ZELENA, stop talking and take a deep breath!" Regina growled out impatiently. She knew that her sister would eventually be bombarding her with questions, but she'd hoped that the other woman would wait until they'd made it home to start in on her questioning. "How am I supposed to answer any of your questions if you won't let me speak?"

"Okay, I'm sorry." Zelena told her with a sigh. "Go ahead and speak, Reggie."

"Her name is Emma Swan-"

"Swan?!" The redhead exclaimed, interrupting her sister. "Is she related to August?!"

"Zelena, what did I just say?" Regina asked with an exasperated sigh.

"Right, sorry. Please continue."

"She's August's little sister and we've only just started dating."

"Okay, I know that you're going to get annoyed with me because I'm interrupting you…again, but I have to say, little sister, that I saw they two of you interacting, and it didn't seem like you'd only just started dating her."

Regina couldn't help but roll her eyes, she shouldn't have expected her sister to sit there quietly and listen to her talk without her overwhelming need to interrupt her reared its ugly head. "Well, I'm telling you the truth, Zelena. We had our first date tonight, actually."

"Oh, wow. I would've never guessed to be honest. You looked really happy with her, Regina, happier than I've seen you in a really long time." Zelena told her sister as she watched her sister through her peripheral vision, wanting to gage her reaction, and smiling when she caught the small grin that the brunette wasn't even trying to conceal.

"I am happy." Regina told her sincerely.

"That's a great thing to hear you say, truly." Zelena told her with a genuine grin of her own. "But I'm still expecting you to answer more of my questions, you know."

"Of course you are." Regina said, her voice not carrying nearly as much hostility as it'd carried earlier. "But I've already answered a few of your questions. I haven't told Marian, or Robbie, about Emma because until tonight there wasn't anything to tell."

"But you've told August." Zelena stated.

"Well, of course I did. I didn't really have a choice there, did I? Logically, Emma is his little sister and he's quite-"

"Protective?" Zelena interrupted yet again.

"Yes."

"Oh, I already knew that he had a protective streak. If only you would've been paying more attention, you would've noticed the glares that he'd taken to throwing in my direction whenever he thought I wasn't looking." The redhead told her with a roll of her eyes."

"Well, that doesn't really matter anymore. He seems to like you well enough now."

"Oh, no. He tolerates me now, but if you and I hadn't gotten around to talking again and trying to rebuild our sisterly bond, he wouldn't have bothered to give me a chance."

Well, maybe you wouldn't have gotten off to such a bad start with him if you hadn't hit him over the head with a frying pan." Regina reminded her, biting her bottom lip to keep herself from laughing at the expense of her sister's embarrassment.

"Oh, that's not fair!" Zelena said, her voice raising a few pitches. "He scared me, Regina!"

"He was just making us some breakfast!"

"Well, I didn't know that!" Zelena exclaimed affronted. "I walked into the kitchen that morning and found a man that I'd never seen before digging through our refrigerator! What was I supposed to do?!"

"Uh, you could've taken the time to ask him why he was digging through our refrigerator…" Regina suggested, her voice carrying a hint of exasperation as she silently berated herself for letting her get sucked into the same argument with her sister.

"He could've been a thief, Regina!"

"He was holding a carton of eggs!"

"Oh, whatever." Zelena muttered to herself as she turned the car into their driveway. "Why are we even talking about him now?" She begrudgingly asked as she shifted the car into park, turned off the ignition, and handed Regina the keys. "Weren't we talking about his little sister?"

"You're the one who brought him up." Regina reminded her. "You're always the one who brings him up." She muttered to herself quietly, making sure that Zelena wouldn't overhear her as she unbuckled her seatbelt and stepped out of the car, her sister following closely behind as they both made their way into their house.

"Tell me more about your date with Emma." Zelena said as they walked into the living room. The both slipped their shoes off and settled comfortably on opposite sides of the couch.

"We went out to each and we watched a movie at her apartment." Regina told her sister as she pulled her phone out of her pocket, clicked onto her text messages, and chose the unknown number that had sent her two image attachments. She smiled to herself as she looked that the pictures that she and Emma had taken together.

"Wait, was any part of that supposed to a euphemism for something?" Zelena asked her with a mischievous smirk on her face.

"No, Zelena!" Regina growled out.

"What?" The redhead exclaimed, not quite understanding the intensity of her sister's reaction as she lifted her hands up in surrender. "I mean, I wouldn't have blamed you if you two would've, you know."

"It wasn't like that." Regina gritted out through her teeth.

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry." Zelena told her, genuinely apologetic.

The brunette simply nodded her head, wordlessly accepting her sister's apology as she typed out a text message to Emma to let her know that she'd gotten home safely.

 **E: Good. Sweet dreams, Regina.**

 **R: Sweet dreams, Emma.**

"She's the person you're talking to right now, isn't she?" Zelena asked quietly, not really wanting to disturb her little sister she watched the brunette's eyes lit up as she looked down at her phone screen, a smile slowly appearing on the redhead's face that almost matched Regina's.

"Yes, she is. She wanted me to let her know when we'd gotten home safely." Regina responded, not bothering to look up from her phone as she quickly saved Emma's number to her contacts list, chose the picture of the two of them smiling brightly into the camera as her contact avatar, and added the blonde to her favorites.

"Well, that was rather charming of her."

"Yeah, it really was." Regina said, chuckling when she remembered the references that both of the Swan siblings had made in regards to their inherited **_Swan Charm_**.

"What?" Zelena asked, confusion in her voice as she watched her sister shake her head and clear her throat.

"It's nothing."

"Okay, if you say so."

"Zelena, as much as I'm enjoying our conversation, it's getting late and I'm tired. I think I'm going to call it a night." "Regina said, barely stifling a yawn.

"This isn't just you trying to get out of talking to your big sister about your beautiful blonde, is it?" Zelena asked her, squinting her eyes as if trying to gage whether or not Regina was lying.

"It's not." Regina assured her as she shifted on the couch.

"Did you tell her that I'm looking forward to meeting her?" Zelena asked the brunette before she could lift herself up from where she was sitting.

"I did. She's looking forward to meeting you too."

"Soon?"

"We'll see."

"You suck." Zelena told her with a groan.

Regina simply smirked as she lifted herself up off the couch, grabbed the sneakers that Ruby had let her borrow, and turned back to look at her sister. "Good night, Lena."

"Good night, Reggie." The redhead said, smiling to herself as she watched as the other woman made her way out of the living room, and disappeared up the staircase. She sighed when she heard Regina's bedroom door click closed. She wasn't naïve enough to believe that her relationship with her little sister was back to what it had once been when they were both younger, but in moments like the one that they'd just shared, she couldn't help but be reminded of how much she truly loved the brunette. It truly meant the world to her to see how happy her little sister was.

Regina walked into her bedroom and carefully pulled her half of the photo strip out of her pocket. She walked over to her vanity where she carefully wedged the edge of the picture so that the picture would stay on her mirror. She smiled, taking a moment to look at the two pictures before she placed her phone on the vanity and turned around, going directly into her walk-in closet so that she could change.

She heard her phone vibrate on the vanity where she'd left it, and she rolled her eyes when she heard it vibrated two more times in quick succession afterward. She walked out of her closet after she'd finished changing into her pajamas, walked into her bathroom to get through her nightly routine, and then she walked back to her vanity and grabbed her phone.

She settled herself into her bed before she unlocked the screen and saw the text messages that August had sent her.

 **A: She can't stop smiling.**

 **A: Because of you.**

 **A: Go, best friend! That's my best friend!**

Regina couldn't contain her own smile as she read the messages that August had sent her.

 **R: I can't stop smiling either.**

 **R: Because of her.**

 **R: You're a dork.**

 **A: We'll talk soon. Sleep well. Love you.**

 **R: Love you too.**

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 **Author's Note: One more chapter to go!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Note: Hey, everybody! I was able to sit down and get the last chapter written, so here it is!**

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Emma had walked back into her apartment twenty minutes before and sat down in the living room with her brother and their friends and they watched Scream 2 as if they hadn't spent the greater part of an hour arguing about being made to watch Scream.

Her phone vibrated in her hand, alerting her to a new text message and she smiled as she saw Regina's name appear on her screen. She read the text message that the brunette had sent her. She immediately replied, her smile widening when Regina sent her own reply.

She looked up, saw that August was watching her with a smile of his own, and she felt her cheeks redden as she realized that she'd been caught. She averted her eyes to the screen, pretending that she was paying attention to what was happening on the screen.

August rolled his eyes, pulling out his own phone and sending his own series of text messages to Regina before he got up and walked into the kitchen, knowing that it wouldn't take Emma too long to realize that this was their opportunity to talk.

Emma looked over to where August had been sitting and watched as he disappeared into the kitchen. She looked around the living room and saw that Killian was still sitting comfortably on the couch with Milah on his lap and a large bowl of popcorn balanced on her own, and Belle and Ruby sitting in a similar position on the recliner, Ruby's attention completely on the screen as Belle munched on the popcorn in their own bowl. She doubted that they'd notice if she left the living room, so she weighed her options, deciding to get up and join her older brother in the kitchen.

"Belle and Ruby are going to be spending the night. Killian already agreed to set their air mattress up for them before he and Milah call it a night, which probably won't be happening any time soon since they still have two-and-a-half movies left to go." August told her as he shoved his phone back into his pocket.

She nodded her head, walking up to him. "Hey, so I know that Regina already thanked you, but I wanted to do the same, so thank you, August." Emma said as she pulled her older brother into a tight hug and rested her head on his shoulder, smiling when she felt his own arms tighten around her.

"Is it safe to say that you like her?" August asked her as he pulled away from their embrace, the widening smile on Emma's face enough to answer his question without her having to say a word.

"Yes, August, I like her. How could I not?" "Emma asked him rhetorically, sighing in contentment before she continued. "She's perfect, and I can't help but think about how crazy it is that she seems to like me too..." She shook her head slightly, a hint of disbelief in her voice as she trailed off with a furrowed brow.

"Honestly, I don't understand why you sound so surprised." August told her with a roll of his eyes. "How could she not like you?" He asked her, watching as his little sister crossed her arms over her chest with a scoff and rested her hip against the kitchen island. He was all too familiar with the blonde's mannerisms to not know what it was she was doing. "Seriously, Emma." He started as he walked up to her and put both of his hands on her shoulders, shaking her gently before he bent down slightly so that he would be at eye-level with her while he spoke. "You should start giving yourself more credit, Duckling."

Emma couldn't help but lower her gaze as she shuffled slight in place, not knowing what to say to him in response.

August fought back a small smile, knowing and understanding how uncomfortable she often got when it came to taking any form of compliment, so he took a step back and averted his own gaze as he changed the subject, knowing all too well that she would willingly follow his lead. "You're planning to spend the rest of the night talking my ear off about Regina, aren't you?" August asked her, laughing lightly when Emma simply met his gaze and nodded her head. "Okay, then. Let's go." August told her with a nod of his own and a smile as he turned her around and placed his hands back on her shoulders, leading her out of the kitchen and past the living room where their friends were still sitting too wrapped up in the movie to notice that they wouldn't be joining them.

They walked into Emma's bedroom, the blonde walking directly into her walk-in closet so that she could change into her pajamas while he walked to her dresser, opened his drawer, and pulled out his own sleepwear.

Emma changed into her pajamas and hung her leather jacket before she gingerly reached into its pocket, pulling her half of the photo strip out of it. She took a moment to look at the pictures, smiling when let her thoughts drift to Regina. She shook herself out of her stupor after a few minutes, walking out of her closet and to the bulletin board that she had on her wall. She grabbed one of the push pins that weren't already holding something else up, and pinned the strip to the center of the board. She let her eyes drift over the board, a genuine grin appearing on her lips as she looked at all of the pictures of her family and friends. Her eyes landing once more on the strip before turning away.

August was already laying comfortably on her queen-sized bed, his back resting against the mountain of pillows that she had, and his old full-sized mattress that they kept under her bed for him to sleep on whenever he slept over was already set up so that he could let himself drop onto it when they were done talking. She walked over to the light switched and turned off the bedroom light before she walked over to her bed. "Move, Augustine." Emma grunted as she smacked him before dropping unceremoniously onto the bed, her elbow narrowly missing her brother's groin.

August grumbled as he rubbed his leg to get rid of the sting that Emma's hand had left behind. He shuffled himself around until he was able to make himself comfortable again. "Okay, I guess you can get to talking about Regina now."

"How did you guys meet?" Emma asked him curiously.

"I'm sure Regina already told you, but she and I met in Professor Hopper's class last year. He assigned the class a research project and he paired us up, so we worked on the project together. We got an "A" on it. We had an unspoken agreement after that. We continued paring up on projects whenever they were assigned to us."

"She said that she'd met me before."

"Well, yeah, she had." August said with a nod of his head. "I mean, kind of any way. You were sleeping after all, but yeah."

"And you didn't think it was a good idea to wake me up so that you could introduce us?" Emma asked him somewhat incredulously.

"Well, in my defense, that wouldn't have been so easy."

"What is that supposed to mean?!" Emma asked, affronted by what she already knew her brother was implying.

"Emma, you sleep like the dead." He told her bluntly, not bothering to soften the blow.

"I do not!" Emma exclaimed, turning her head to try to look at her brother but not seeing much of anything in the darkness of her bedroom.

"Yes, you do, and we're getting off topic." August said with a roll of his eyes.

"Whatever." Emma muttered as she deliberately elbowed him in the stomach.

"Very mature." August grunted as he rubbed at the spot where her elbow had landed. "Anyway, Regina and I went to my apartment to pick up a textbook that we needed, and there you were dead to the world, snoring up a storm." Emma growled and August struggled to stifle his laughter as he lifted his hands up in an attempt to protect himself as his little sister moved to elbow him in the stomach again. "I was joking! You weren't snoring, but you were dead asleep, Duckling."

"I can't believe that I missed out on meeting Regina sooner because I was too busy sleeping." Emma grumbled, lifting her hands and rubbing the palm of her hands roughly against her eyes.

"Hey, you've met her now. And if I'm being completely honest with you, I think it's better that you met her later rather than sooner in this case."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Emma asked in confusion.

"Emma, you were still dating Lilith, and Regina saw the two of you sleeping on the couch together the day that you and I got into that massive argument." August told her somewhat begrudgingly. "When we walked into my apartment that day, you had that woman attached to you like a leech."

"Oh." Emma sighed, whatever rebuttal she'd been planning dying immediately on her lips.

"Yeah." August agreed with a sigh of his own.

"Okay, if Lily was wrapped around me like you say she was that day, Augustine, that must've happened a few months before she and I broke up." Emma started, looking to August only to remember that she couldn't see much of anything. "Lily and I broke up over seven months ago! Why did I only meet Regina now?!"

"Because I asked her to wait." August told her, wincing slightly as he realized how his little sister might take that.

"What?!" Emma exclaimed, bolting up to turn the bedside lamp.

"Emma." August sighed. "I had my reasons for asking her to wait."

"What were they?" Emma asked him, she knew her brother well enough to know that he wouldn't do something if he thought it might hurt her in any way, but that didn't mean that she didn't expect him to explain his reasoning.

"Duckling, you and Lily were in a relationship for three years. She was your first girlfriend, and while I didn't approve of her at all, I know that she meant a lot to you. I remember how you looked the night that you told me that the two of you had broken up. I saw the heartbreak in your eyes when you told me that you wouldn't be getting back together. I wanted you to be able to heal on your own."

They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes before Emma spoke quietly. "You were trying to protect me."

"I was." August said as he pulled his little sister into his side, his arm wrapping around her shoulders as he leaned down slightly to drop a kiss to the top of the blonde's head. "I always will."

"You were protecting Regina too, you know." Emma told him with a gentle smile playing on her lips as she rested her head on her brother's chest.

"I do." August agreed with a smile of his own.

"She's your best friend." Emma stated knowingly.

"Yes, she is."

"And she has your approval."

"Yes, she does." August agreed as he thought about how much the two women meant to him and how much he wanted them both to be happy.

"I'm glad that she does." Emma sighed contently. "I really like her."

"Oh, I know you do. And she really likes you too. Hell, you've only spent a few hours together and it's as if you've been dating a few months, if not more." August told her matter-of-factly. "Head over ass." He muttered to himself in amusement.

"I heard that."

"Oh, of course you did." August said with a chuckle, squeezing Emma's shoulder when she laughed. "But seriously, Duckling, I can't remember seeing you smile as much as I've seen you smile tonight in a long time."

"I know." Emma sighed happily. "I think my cheeks are starting to hurt."

"I really hope you mean your face." August said in mock-disgust.

"You're such a dumbass." Emma snorted, smacking him on the chest with her hand.

"Whatever, you still laughed." August said with a smirk.

"Yeah, I did." Emma said with a roll of her eyes. "I hate to admit it, but Dare Night might've actually been a bit of a success."

"Oh, you do know that Ruby's never going to let you hear the end of it once you tell her that, don't you?" August asked her with a laugh.

"Damn it." Emma groaned, burying her head in August's chest as her brother laughed loudly. "Shut up, Augustine." Emma growled, her own laughter escaping her lips a few seconds later.

The Swan siblings laid in companionable silence for a few minutes before August rolled off of Emma's bed and onto his mattress, taking two of her pillows down with him as he did.

The blonde couldn't resist the opportunity to smack her brother upside the head with one of her pillows while under the pretense of trying to make herself more comfortable. She couldn't help but laugh when she heard him grunted his displeasure, pleasantly surprised when he chose not to retaliate.

Emma's laughter died down after a few seconds, giving way slowly to her exhaustion, and the two of them were sleeping within minutes, identical smiles on both of their faces.

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 **Author's Note: When I originally posted Dare Night as a one-shot, I had no idea that it would get as much support as it did, and I can't tell you how much I appreciate all of your kind words and continuous encouragement! Thank you so much!**


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